SubSonic Adventure
by The Rockologist
Summary: UPDATED When Eggman creates a new super weapon, Sonic and the gang ask the most unlikely person for help defeating him. But in order to stop Eggman, they must dive to the bottom of the ocean!
1. An Unlikely Ally

Hello, all, and welcome to the first chapter of the sequel to "Dredmond Manor II: Billionaire's Revenge." Actually, it's not really a sequel, because nothing in this story has to do with DMII. Well, I'll call it a 'threequel,' the third story in a line of stories! No, that doesn't work... Just continue and read.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic and co; they belong to Sonic Team and Sega. I do, however, own Niagera (It's me you fools! ...Well, not really. I just felt like saying that), James, the Dredmond Manor and the SS Maverick.  
  
Chapter 1: An Unlikely Ally  
  
In the middle of a large room filled with computers, Eggman laughed manically like so many evil villains before him as he put the finishing touches on his brand-new 'super-weapon.' "At last, with the completion of the Nuclear Core, I shall finally be able to destroy the world!" he roared.  
  
"Nuclear Core'? What kind of boring name is that?"  
  
Eggman spun around to see Metal Sonic leaning against a wall staring at him. "Agh! What do you want, metal?" Eggman demanded.  
  
Metal rolled his eyes. "Nothing. I just think you could've given your new 'super-weapon' a better name than 'Nuclear Core,'" he droned, "It's so bland, don't you think?"  
  
"Ha! Your negative personality won't distract me this time, Metal," Eggman said, "Wait until you see this weapon, THEN you'll be impressed!"  
  
"Very well, Eggman, show me this weapon and I shall be impressed," Metal snickered, "Where is it, anyway?"  
  
Eggman rubbed his hands together. "It's in this cylinder," he said, pointing to a large cylindrical object in the center of the room. "Watch this!" Eggman pressed a button on the control console and the cylinder started shaking. Small strips of luminescent panels lit up all over the object and it started to lift up off the ground. A bright light suddenly flashed, and in the center of the room, floating a few feet above the ground, was a small atom-like object.  
  
"That's your 'super-weapon?' That little atom thingy?" Metal mumbled.  
  
Eggman put on a pair of lead-impeded gloves and picked the atom up. "Yes, it is. This atomic core holds more power than the sun! Muahahahaha! But to unleash that energy, it needs to come into contact with water," he explained.  
  
"That shouldn't be so hard, seeing as 70% of this planet's surface is water," said Metal.  
  
"When it comes into contact with water, the energy will be unleashed! I've built a machine to harness this energy, but in order for it to work, it needs to have a certain pressure expelled onto the case," Eggman continued, "And according to my calculations, that kind of pressure only exists at the bottom of the ocean. Not just the water off the coast of the beach, but the very bottom!"  
  
Metal scratched his head. "So we're going scuba diving?"  
  
"Wha...? No, you idiot! We're going down in a submarine!" Eggman shouted, "I've built a submarine that can withstand the pressure at the bottom of the ocean. It's the only one of its kind, so no one can stop us once we get down there. Not even Sonic!  
  
***  
  
Night fell upon the City of Station Square. The skyscrapers and spotlights made the skyline resemble that of a miniature New York City. (A/N: Oh look! It's Trump Tower!) Even at night, the streets were still bustling with cars driving past the tall buildings, shopping malls, casinos and nightclubs.  
  
The diamond on Rouge's engagement ring glittered every now and then as the car drove under a streetlamp. She and Knuckles had gone out on their last date before their wedding in two weeks. They had gone to a wild nightclub called Copperfield's, one of Rouge's favorite places to hang out.  
  
Knuckles was sitting far back in the passenger seat. "Rouge, that was the wildest party I've ever been to," he said, "And I've gone to a lot of Sonic's parties, too."  
  
Rouge chuckled. "I know what you mean," she said, "But how come you never do any drinking at these parties? Even just one sip of wine? Hmm?"  
  
"I can't stand the stuff," Knuckles responded. He pressed a button on the side of his seat and it automatically swung back into its normal position. "So, where to now?"  
  
"I thought you had an idea," Rouge said. They came to a red light and she stopped the car.  
  
"Nah, I don't know where anything is in this city. Why don't we just go over to The Pier? You know, we can look at the shops, talk a stroll on the boardwalk," Knuckles suggested, and then added in a quieter tone, "Just the two of us."  
  
Rouge smiled and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek before the light turned green. Knuckles blushed and ran his hand over the spot where she had kissed him. He loved nights like these, just Rouge and him out doing whatever they wanted. 'Nothing can ruin this night,' he thought.  
  
Boy, was he wrong.  
  
"The Pier is only a mile from here," Rouge said, "I have to turn right at this next intersection."  
  
Rouge steered the car into the right lane to get ready for the turn when Knuckles noticed something in the rear-view mirror. "Uh, Rouge, you might want to..."  
  
"Hold on, I have to make this turn," Rouge interrupted.  
  
"No, there's a car heading right for...just give me the wheel!" Knuckles grabbed the steering wheel and gave it a tremendous jerk. The car veered to the hard right just before another car came rolling by, almost tearing the side view mirror off. The driver of the car blared the horn as he passed by.  
  
Rouge quickly got her car back into the correct lane. She and Knuckles were silent for a moment. Then they burst into laughter. "That was a close one!" Rouge chuckled, "How many crazy drivers live in this city anyway?"  
  
"Beats me," Knuckles replied, "You think that guy was even bothered to look at the road while he was driving? Probably not. He's blind as a bat!"  
  
The car suddenly screeched to a halt. Knuckles looked over at Rouge to see what happened. She was glaring at him. "Excuse me?" she hissed, "What did you just say?"  
  
Knuckles became nervous. Normally, he wasn't afraid of anything. But when Rouge got angry, he was terrified. "I said 'blind as a bat,'" he said, "It's an expression, you know, it means..." That was when Knuckles remembered that Rouge was, indeed, a bat. "Oh...sorry."  
  
"Sorry?!" Rouge shrieked, "That's a derogatory statement toward bats! That's like calling a duck a birdbrain! Do you know how that makes me feel?"  
  
Knuckles thought about it and then responded the only way he knew how in these kind of situations; by snapping. "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't know. Besides, it's kind of dumb to get all annoyed like this over one little statement!"  
  
Rouge gasped. "How can you talk to me like that?" she demanded.  
  
Knuckles suddenly realized what he had said and shook his head. "No, no! What I meant to say was...uh...dammit, now I forgot!"  
  
Rouge narrowed her eyes. "You snapped again!"  
  
"Well I'm sorry, but I'm a little annoyed right now!"  
  
"Why? Because you offended me and I'm not accepting your apology? Is that it?"  
  
"Yes! ...I mean no! No!" Knuckles stammered. He was really messing this up. "I didn't mean that!"  
  
"I'm sure you didn't," Rouge hissed, "Get out of the car."  
  
Knuckles arched an eyebrow before exiting the vehicle and walking over to a bench in front of a jewelry store. Rouge stormed over to him, too angry to even notice the diamonds in the window. "You really are a jerk, offending me and then trying to make it all my fault!"  
  
Now Knuckles got angry. "Hold on! I apologized and said that I didn't know it was derogatory, but you didn't accept it. If you did, we'd still be in a good mood heading for The Pier!" he snapped.  
  
"Well, I never...I really thought we had gotten over the whole argument thing years ago," she shouted, "Ever since you asked me to marry you we've been wonderful, and now you're ruining it!"  
  
"I'm...I'M ruining it?" Knuckles roared. He struggled to say something that might calm her down, but it came out like this: "You know, sometimes you can be as annoying as Amy, and this is one of those times. Stop nagging! Let's just forget this ever—"  
  
Knuckles was cut off when Rouge slapped him hard across the cheek. He finally shut up and realized that she was really, truly upset. "So, I'm nagging, am I?" she hissed, "The you know what? I'm leaving."  
  
Knuckles tried to stop her. "Wait! Please stay, I'm really sorry! Honestly," he pleaded, using a much calmer tone of voice.  
  
Rouge stopped walking and turned around. "I'm not staying, but this is," she said, and pulled the engagement ring off of her finger. She tossed it onto the ground in front of Knuckles, who stared down at it in shock. "Good bye, Knuckles," Rouge said. Then she re-entered her car and sped away.  
  
Knuckles' jaw dropped. He picked up the ring and stared at it. "No...no...this can't be...IT'S ALL MY ****ING FAULT!" he roared, and started blaring profanity against himself at a hundred and fifty decibels. Some people who were standing near him gave him dirty looks and stormed away.  
  
Knuckles couldn't hold it in much longer. He collapsed and started banging his fists against the ground. "Why? Why? Why can't I keep my mouth shut!? Or at least try not to snap back!?"  
  
After a good ten minutes, he stopped slamming his fists against the ground and wiped a tear from his eye. "Now my life's ruined," he mumbled, "My one true love...snatched from me by my OVERACTIVE MOUTH! How can this get any worse?"  
  
It started to rain.  
  
Knuckles shook his fists in rage. "I didn't mean literally, God!"  
  
He finally calmed down after a bit more profanity. Walking along the sidewalk, completely drenched by the pouring rain, he spotted a bar on a corner. "Well, I might as well drown my sorrows in a good drink," he sniffled, and headed for the bar. "What am I going to do? I have to apologize to her...without running my mouth. Hmm, maybe it's better if I just leave it as it is..."  
  
***  
  
Shadow grumbled as he drove his old, clunky Checker through the pouring rain to the nearest 24-hour pharmacy. "Damn antacids...they never work," he growled, rubbing his stomach, "And at five o'clock in the morning...sheesh!"  
  
Suddenly, a red blur ran across the street right in front of the car. Shadow gasped and stopped short, feeling something hit against the bumper. Panicked, he got out of the car and ran to the man he had hit.  
  
"Excuse me, sir? Are you okay? Damn this rain...can you understand me?" Shadow called, squinting through the darkness and the pouring rain. He walked up to the red figure, which was lying in the middle of the road holding an empty bottle of scotch in his hand. Shadow recognized him. "...Knuckles? Is that you?"  
  
"Ow...what...*hic*...happened?" Knuckles asked woozily as he got up. Shadow ran to his side.  
  
"Knuckles! I'm sorry! I couldn't see you through the rain and you just ran across the street...wait a minute," Shadow said, eyeing the red echidna suspiciously, "Are you drunk?"  
  
Knuckles wobbled as he walked in circles around Shadow. "Dr...drunk? That's...*hic*...preposterous!" he slurred, "I would...*hic*...never..."  
  
Shadow rolled his eyes. "Yep, you're drunk. Come on, I have to get you to Sonic's house. He's had experience with this kind of stuff before."  
  
***  
  
Sonic's house was all the way over on the other side of the city. It took Shadow an hour to get there through the pouring rain. Luckily, the sun started to rise a few minutes before they arrived.  
  
Sonic opened the door wearily, his eyes still full of crust and gook. "I thought I told you not to sell me anymore Girl Scout cookies, Cream!" he shouted, and rubbed his eyes. "Oh, Shadow, what's up?"  
  
Shadow stepped into the house, holding Knuckles under his arm. They were both drenched. "I found Knuckles wandering around on the streets...drunk."  
  
Sonic's eyes widened and all the gook fell out. "Drunk? Knux was drunk?" he asked. Shadow nodded and Sonic burst into laughter.  
  
"Sonic...you'd better...*hic*...you'd better stop laughing or I'll...*hic*...let's sing the Recycle Song!" Knuckles slurred, "R-e-c-y-c-l-e, recycle!"  
  
Sonic fell onto the floor and howled with more laughter. "Tails! Get in here! And bring the camera!" he shouted.  
  
Tails sleepily appeared in the room wearing his bathrobe. "Sonic, it's six o'clock. Can I go to bed?" he asked, and then he noticed Knuckles. "What's wrong with him?"  
  
"He's drunk," Shadow explained, "And Sonic is just a moron."  
  
Sonic calmed himself down and picked himself up off the floor. "Okay, let's see what we can do for him," he said.  
  
***  
  
Four hours and three-dozen Chaser Caplets later, Knuckles' hangover finally disappeared. He was sitting at the dining room table with everyone else, his head resting on a pillow. Oh, and the rain had stopped.  
  
"Is he awake yet?" Tails asked, getting impatient, "We need to find out why he got drunk."  
  
"Give him a few more minutes," Shadow instructed.  
  
Knuckles' eyes suddenly popped open. "ROUGE! Please stay!" he shouted. Everyone stared at him.  
  
"What's up with that?" Sonic asked.  
  
Knuckles rubbed his head. "How did I get here? What happened to me?"  
  
"You were drunk," Shadow explained, "I ran into you...literally...while you were wandering the streets and brought you here."  
  
Knuckles continued to rub his head. "I was drunk? Darn...I wasn't singing that blasted Recycle Song again, was I?"  
  
Sonic burst into laughter.  
  
"There's my answer..." Knuckles mumbled, "Where's Amy?"  
  
"She's having a sleep-over at Cream's house; girls do that stuff," Tails said, "Now, what was with that 'Rouge! Please stay!' business?"  
  
Knuckles' eyes started to get watery. "Rouge and I were out on a date...and we got into an argument...thanks to my overactive mouth! And then she...she...well..." He wiped his eyes and pulled Rouge's ring out of his pocket. He rested it on a napkin for everyone to see.  
  
"Oh, Knuckles, I'm sorry," Shadow said. Tails agreed.  
  
Even Sonic was downhearted. "Oh well, maybe she's just angry," he said, "I guarantee she'll come back in a few days and talk the whole thing over with you."  
  
"Thanks, Sonic," Knuckles mumbled, "But this is Rouge we're talking about. I don't think I'll be able to face her after...that. I just don't believe this...and it's all my fault!" He started slamming his head against the large oak table.  
  
"Hang on!" Shadow said, grabbing Knuckles' dreadlocks to stop his banging, "We'll help you get her back. After all, I am the ultimate!"  
  
"Enough with the 'ultimate' crap, Shadow," Sonic muttered.  
  
"SHUT UP, FAKER!"  
  
"THE HELL I WILL!"  
  
Tails and Knuckles stared at them, wide-eyed "Well, I guess I'll go see if the mail is here," Tails said, heading for the front door.  
  
Knuckles watched as Sonic and Shadow burned holes through each other with their stares for a few minutes. "Guys, I appreciate you trying to help me, but this is ridiculous," he said.  
  
"THE FAKER STARTED IT!"  
  
"THE HELL I DID!"  
  
Tails came back and set the mail on the table. "You guys aren't going to like this, but we got a letter from Eggman," he said.  
  
Everyone gasped. Sonic and Shadow stopped staring at each other. "He did?" Sonic asked. "Give it to me!"  
  
Tails handed Sonic an envelope with the address of Eggman's secret base on it. (A/N: He's that dumb?) He tore it open and pulled out a metallic disk with a green lens in the center.  
  
"What does that thing do?" Shadow asked.  
  
"I dunno..." Sonic fiddled with the disk until it started to buzz. He dropped it onto the table. The green lens suddenly started to glow and emitted a holographic image of Eggman. Everyone gasped...again.  
  
"Hello, Sonic," Eggman said, "If you're watching this nifty little holographic image of me, then it means I have already dove down to the bottom of the sea to begin my grand-master plan with my new super-weapon!"  
  
"What's he talking about?" Tails asked. Knuckles shooshed him.  
  
"You see, Sonic, I have built a special submarine that can take me to a depth of eight miles—deeper than any other sub can go. And the best thing is, you can't stop me! Why? Because you can't get a sub that'll take you down this far! Muahahahah!"  
  
"Super-weapon?" Shadow asked. Knuckles shooshed him.  
  
"Yes, Sonic, I've created a special atomic particle that has enough power to split the planet's tectonic plates in half, thereby destroying the world! And that's just what I'm going to do! Muahahahah! Stop me if you can, buh-bye!" Then the image faded.  
  
"Leave it to Eggman to tell us everything about his plan so that we can stop him," Sonic mumbled, "Come on, Tails, let's get the Cyclone ready."  
  
"No, we can't take the Cyclone," Tails said, "It can't go underwater. Besides, the pressure at the point where the tectonic plates meet is so great that it would crush the Cyclone even if it could travel underwater."  
  
"So build a sub that can withstand the pressure," Shadow suggested.  
  
"It's not that simple," Tails explained, "No metal exists that can withstand the pressure of water at a depth of eight or nine miles. There was, though, a sub created about forty years ago that could. It was called the SS Maverick (A/N: The italics on my computer don't work, so I can't put the name down properly) that was built out of a synthetic metal that could withstand that pressure. It was meant for military use during the war, but they discarded it as an unnecessary expense and put it into storage."  
  
"What happened to it then?" Knuckles asked.  
  
"Somebody bought it ten years ago, I read an article about it in the archives of 'Mechanics Today' magazine," Tails finished.  
  
"So...if we get this sub, we could go down there and stop Eggman?" Shadow asked.  
  
"Yes, that we could."  
  
Sonic clapped his hands together. "Sounds simple enough. Tails, use the computer in your room to find out who owns it. We'll borrow it and dive to the bottom of the sea to stop Egghead."  
  
"Aye, captain!" Tails saluted, and headed for his room.  
  
Sonic turned to Knuckles. "Uh, you wanna come along? I mean, if the thing with Rouge has you all upset, then maybe..."  
  
"No, I'll come along. I need some time to think about what I'll do with her," Knuckles replied, "Besides, I'm happy to kick Eggman's butt any day of the week!"  
  
"Then it's settled!" Shadow exclaimed, "I'll go get Amy from Cream's house and we'll meet at the place where the sub is being held. It shouldn't take more than a few hours to find the sub, right?"  
  
No one answered. Tails came back into the room. He was looking down at the floor. "What's wrong?" Sonic asked, "Did you find out who owns the sub?"  
  
"Yeah," Tails muttered, "I checked the archives again and found out where it is and who owns it, but I don't think you're going to like it."  
  
***  
  
"No! No! No!" Knuckles shouted, "I'm not going in there! He's going to try and kill me again!"  
  
"No he's not," Sonic said, "Besides, if he tries anything, I'll take care of him for you."  
  
"Isn't it odd how this guy seems to have been related to everything we've done in the last few months?" Tails asked.  
  
The gigantic Dredmond Manor, home to Niagera Patterson Dredmond the Third, loomed ahead of them as the trio walked along the long, curving driveway. The mansion had fallen into disrepair over the years of Niagera's absence. Now, scaffolds and construction teams were all over the place, plastering the walls, replacing windows, fixing the brick chimneys, and rebuilding the tall clock tower. The rain had given way to clear blue skies (A/N: My, how convenient.) and the construction crews were removing the tarps from the scaffolds.  
  
The trio arrived at the front of the mansion, finally, only to be pushed back by a construction foreman. "Excuse me, but we're doing work here," the foreman snapped, "Mr. Dredmond has asked that all visitors come back at a later time."  
  
"No, you don't understand," Tails said, "We have urgent business to attend to."  
  
"Yeah, and so did that guy who came here yesterday," the foreman grumbled, "He turned out to be a door-to-door salesman."  
  
"Look, we're personal friends to Niagera and we need to speak to him," Sonic insisted. Knuckles gave him and odd look. Sonic mouthed the words; 'play along,' to him.  
  
"Oh, yeah! He just had a death in the family and he needs some...uh...condolence?" Knuckles said, nervously.  
  
The foreman eyed him suspiciously. "Okay, you can come in. Just be careful, we're installing new marble pillars in the foyer."  
  
The trop nodded thanks and entered the mansion, avoiding the ever-busy construction workers and machinery. The foyer was in ruins. Marble columns which once supported the ceiling had collapsed and the clock tower's mechanism was lying on the floor, completely destroyed. Cleanup crews were everywhere, getting rid of the mess to make way for the new material. Scaffolds and cranes filled the six-story room, lifting brand new marble balconies up the walls.  
  
"This is a major project," Tails observed.  
  
"It gives me satisfaction to know that we were the cause of this," Knuckles said, beaming, "Remember? The fight with the Guard-Bots?"  
  
"Oh, yeah!" Sonic said.  
  
Suddenly, they heard a buzzing sound from behind them. The trio spun around to see James, the robotic butler, hovering next to them wearing a hardhat. "Ah, Master Sonic," he said, "Good to see you. Master Knuckles, Mr. Prower, hello as well."  
  
"Hello, James," Tails said, "We need to see Niagera. It's urgent."  
  
"Oh, my apologies, but Master Dredmond is busy filing patents and revenue paperwork," James explained, "You see, his company has had a bit of a problem and he's—so to speak—stuck in a gutter surrounded by lawsuits."  
  
"Yes, but we absolutely need to see him," Tails urged.  
  
James mechanically sighed. "Very well, Mr. Prower, I'm sure Master Dredmond won't mind you. Master Knuckles, though, might be in for a rude awakening."  
  
***  
  
Niagera's office was piled high with books filled with information about his many huge bank accounts. James ushered Sonic, Tails and Knuckles into the large room. They had to push several piles of books out of the way to get to Niagera's desk.  
  
Niagera, dressed in his usual white business suit, wasn't at his desk, though. He was high up on a bookshelf, pulling out specific books and tossing them to the floor. "Junk...junk...garbage...hmm, let's see...crap," he mumbled.  
  
"Master Dredmond?" James called.  
  
"What?" Niagera squawked, not even bothering to look down.  
  
"You have some visitors," James replied.  
  
Niagera stopped throwing the books. "What?! I told you no visitors!" he barked, and slid down the bookshelf ladder. "Who is it that you let in, pray tell?"  
  
"May I introduce Sonic, Mr. Prower and Knuckles the echidna," James said, making a sweeping gesture with his skinny mechanical arms. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles nervously nodded hello.  
  
"Wha...wha...what?! Why did you...? ...Echidna!" Niagera growled, clicking his metallic fingers, "I declared a truce with you a few months ago! Stop bothering me! As for you, Sonic and Tails; good to see you."  
  
"Gee, hello to you, too," Knuckles growled.  
  
"Shut up! Why are you here? I'm in the middle of a huge money crisis, if you can't tell!" Niagera shouted, "My net worth has dwindled to a measly ninety billion in the last three weeks and the banks have got me around the neck!"  
  
"A measly ninety BILLION?" Knuckles said, sarcastically, "That's terrible!"  
  
"Exactly! Now tell me, what's you business?" Niagera demanded, sitting in the large armchair behind his desk.  
  
Sonic explained the crisis. "There's this guy called Eggman," he said.  
  
"Uh-huh," Niagera mumbled.  
  
"And he's created a submarine that can travel down to a depth of eight miles," Tails continued for Sonic, "Deeper than any other sub can."  
  
"Indeed," Niagera muttered.  
  
"And he plans on creating some sort of nuclear explosion to destroy the planet's tectonic plates," Knuckles finished.  
  
"How terrible," Niagera droned, "So what do you want from me?"  
  
"I read that you purchased the SS Maverick from the military a number of years ago. It's the only other submarine that can dive to a depth of eight or nine miles," Tails said, "In order for us to stop Eggman, we need to use that sub."  
  
"Quite," Niagera slurred.  
  
"What we're trying to say is...can we borrow your sub?" Knuckles asked.  
  
Niagera stared at them for a long time before bursting into hysterical laughter. "THE ECHIDNA WANTS TO BORROW MY SUB! THAT'S PRICELESS! AHAHAHAH!"  
  
Sonic narrowed his eyes. "We're serious, Niagera. If we don't get down there to stop him, he'll destroy the planet!"  
  
Niagera wiped a tear from his eye and tried to stifle his laughter. "So? I hate the world! For all I care, someone can come along and blow us all up!"  
  
"That's exactly what Eggman plans to do," Tails said.  
  
Niagera stopped laughing. "Oh well, the answer is no. You're not allowed to borrow my sub," he said, and buried his face in a revenue book.  
  
Suddenly, Sonic had an idea. "Tails, Knux, just play along," he whispered.  
  
"Right," Tails and Knuckles agreed.  
  
Sonic cleared his throat. "You know, Niagera, if the world is destroyed, you limo would go with it as well," he said.  
  
Niagera looked up. "My limo? I never thought of that..."  
  
"And you mansion as well," Tails added.  
  
"Oh, my..."  
  
"Not to mention your Rolex," Knuckles finished.  
  
Niagera went red. "That's going too far! You can take a way my mansion and my limo, but by God, NO ONE TOUCHES MY ROLEX! Unless you ask nicely, of course."  
  
"So...will you lend us your sub?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Not only that, but I'll come with you! With my knowledge of seafaring stuff like that we should be able to get rid of this Eggman character in no time!" Niagera exclaimed.  
  
"Great! Where's the sub?" Knuckles asked.  
  
"It's in storage on a small island a few miles out at sea. I'll bring you guys to Dredmond Airways, a small airport I own, and we can take my private jet to the island. It should take us...an hour, maybe," Niagera explained.  
  
"Good," Sonic said, "I'll contact Shadow and tell him to bring Amy and Rouge to the airport. Then we can take off."  
  
Niagera got up from his chair and walked over to the trio. "But before I do anything," he said, grinning mischievously, "You have to shake."  
  
"Sure thing," Sonic said, extending his hand.  
  
Niagera waved him away. "No, no. Not you, I'm shaking Knuckles' hand."  
  
Knuckles looked at him nervously. Niagera extended his mechanical hand, still grinning. Knuckles hesitantly shook it, feeling Niagera put a little too much pressure into the shake. "Excellent," Niagera hissed, "James, please escort these three to the limo. I shall be there in a moment."  
  
"As you wish, Master Dredmond," James said. He escorted Sonic, Knuckles and Tails out of Niagera's office.  
  
"Boy, that was easy," Tails said.  
  
"Ditto! We should have Eggman taken care of in no time!" Sonic replied.  
  
"I don't know," Knuckles mumbled, "That handshake felt awfully weird. I think he's up to something again."  
  
"Stop worrying!" Sonic insisted, "He has no choice but to help us, or else his precious Rolex gets destroyed."  
  
"Besides, you might be able to apologize to Rouge during the trip in the submarine," Tails said.  
  
Niagera listened to them as they left. He reached into the drawer of his desk and pulled out the gold-plated keys to his limo. He chuckled. "Don't worry, Knuckles," he hissed to himself, "There's nothing wrong with having me as your ally."  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
WOW! That was the longest, most drawn out chapter I've ever written...I think. Oh well. So, do you think Niagera is really a good guy? Or is he up to something again? Tell me in your reviews!  
  
Oh, and by the way, the Recycle Song is from and episode of one of my favorite shows; Rocko's Modern Life!  
  
All reviews accepted! 


	2. Another Plane Crash

(Insert author's note here.)  
  
Disclaimer: See chapter #1.  
  
Chapter 2: Another Plane Crash  
  
Metal Sonic stood on the bridge of the Titan-Egg, Eggman's super-powered submarine capable of diving to a depth of eight miles. "Wow, look at all the pretty buttons," he droned as he looked over the dozens of computer screens, levers and illuminated buttons.  
  
Eggman's annoying evil laugh interrupted Metal's thoughts. He spun around to see Eggman standing behind him. "Welcome aboard the Titan-Egg," Eggman cackled.  
  
Metal rolled his eyes. "You know, it would've been smarter to say that when we first got on board. We've been at sea for about three hours now."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"And another thing: Titan-Egg? What kind of a dumb name is that?" Metal criticized, "I mean, first it's 'Nuclear Core,' and now 'Titan-Egg?' You're at a loss for names, me thinks."  
  
Eggman sighed. "Pirate talk... Muahahahah! Now that we're already diving to the bottom, there's no way Sonic can get to us!"  
  
"Then why did you send Sonic that letter explaining everything you're going to do when he can do nothing to stop us in the first place?" Metal asked.  
  
"Because that's my trademark!" Eggman boomed. "Now, I want you to keep an eye on the Hedgehog-Radar to make sure Sonic is nowhere within our vicinity."  
  
"Hedgehog Radar? You're off your rocker...because it collapsed under your fatness," Metal mumbled.  
  
"You're really annoying, you know that?" Eggman growled.  
  
"Indubitably!"  
  
Eggman rolled his eyes. "Very well, just keep an eye on the radar!"  
  
Shadow had picked up Rouge and Amy and was heading for Niagera's airport. "So, that's what happened?" Amy asked.  
  
"Yeah," Rouge replied, "I know it was foolish, but it was sort of the spur of the moment."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure Knuckles will talk it over with you while we're in the sub," Amy reassured. Rouge smiled meekly.  
  
Shadow, who had been ignoring the annoying conversation, turned a corner to see the airport right in front of him. An old, faded sign was hanging from the barbed-wire fence that surrounded the perimeter of the airport.  
  
"THIS is a million-dollar airport?" he asked, "What's that sign say? 'Dredmond Airways?' Uh-oh, I hope that's not related to him..."  
  
Shadow entered the airport. It was vacant with the exception of an old, rusted hangar and a few runways with weeds growing between that cracks in the tarmac. Shadow stopped the car and cut the engine. "Okay, out," he said.  
  
Rouge and Amy exited the back seat and walked next to Shadow. "What happened here?" Amy asked.  
  
"It's obviously been abandoned for a few years," Shadow said, "Sonic said this is where the sub is, I guess we just have to wait."  
  
So they waited.  
  
Finally, they heard the soft growl of an engine coming from the entrance. The three turned to see a large white limousine with a golden grille coming toward them.  
  
"Wait...is that Niagera's car?" Rouge asked.  
  
"I think so," Shadow said, "You two get behind me, I'll handle this guy."  
  
The Rolls-Royce Phantom VI limo stopped right next to Shadow's Checker. The engine stopped and the rear door opened. Niagera, wearing a pair of large sunglasses, stepped out.  
  
"Wow," he said, "What happened here? Haven't the maintenance men been doing their work?"  
  
"Niagera! What are you doing here?" Shadow demanded.  
  
Niagera took the sunglasses off. "Well, hello, Shadow," he greeted, "Good to see you again. Amy, Rouge, good to see you too...sort of."  
  
"Well, what are you doing here?" Shadow repeated.  
  
Niagera thought. "Something about a submarine," he answered.  
  
Sonic, Tails and Knuckles exited the limo. "Well, that was a very relaxing ride," Sonic said, yawning and stretching his arms.  
  
"So, where's the sub?" Tails asked.  
  
"Ah, Mr. Prower, always so inquisitive," Niagera mumbled, "Like I said before, the sub is docked at a small island a few miles out at sea. We'll have to take my brand new jet to get there."  
  
"We're flying?" Tails asked, beaming.  
  
Niagera nodded. "Yes, I thought you'd like that."  
  
"Where's the plane?" Amy asked.  
  
"Well, if the track system has been fixed, it will wheel out of that hangar over there automatically," Niagera replied, "James, please hand me the remote."  
  
The front door of the limo opened and James stepped out. The small pair of legs he used to reach the pedals quickly folded underneath him and he hovered over to Niagera. He handed him a small remote with a single button on it. A grinding noise could be heard, and the rusty doors of the hangar slid open, revealing a sleek black Gulf Stream-5 jet. The jet followed a track in the ground and started to wheel itself out of the hangar toward a runway.  
  
"Pretty convenient," Tails said.  
  
Shadow was still nervous about having Niagera as an ally. While Niagera ranted to Tails about his special system, he whispered to Sonic, "Are you sure this guy is trustworthy? I mean, did you forget what he did a few months ago in the factory?"  
  
"He has no choice," Sonic whispered back, "If he doesn't help us save the world, his precious Rolex will be destroyed." He laughed.  
  
Knuckles took a deep breath and approached Rouge, who had her back to him. He had prepared a formal apology, but he wasn't sure if she was going to accept it. "Um, R—Rouge?" he asked weakly.  
  
Rouge turned around to see Knuckles standing there, hanging his head. "Oh. What do you want?" she muttered.  
  
"I—I wanted to...um...I..." He suddenly found himself at a loss for words.  
  
Rouge narrowed her eyes. "Just leave me alone," she growled, and walked away. Knuckles stood there and watched her leave.  
  
"Darn..." he mumbled, "She's still angry..."  
  
The jet finally positioned itself on the runway. A small boarding ladder folded up from the ground and attached itself to the plane's door, which swung open automatically. "James, please take your position in the cockpit, we'll be leaving in a few minutes," Niagera ordered. James nodded and hovered up the boarding ladder into the plane.  
  
Niagera turned to the group. "My $35 million dollar jet is among the most luxurious in the world, so please make yourselves at home, it won't be hard to, trust me," he said, grinning.  
  
Sonic beamed and entered the jet. "My kind of plane!" he exclaimed as he and the others boarded.  
  
The interior was a light beige color with veneer panels lining the floor and ceiling. Leather seats lined one wall and a large meeting table was positioned against the other. Small crystal light fixtures emitted a soft glow, and a dark red carpet covered the floor. "It's state-of-the-art," Niagera explained, "With a DVD-thirty speaker surround sound system, a twenty-five inch plasma screen TV, XM radio, heated and air-conditioned seats, a small bar the folds out of the console between the seats...I even had all the seatbelt buckles made out of solid gold!"  
  
Tails threw himself in one of the large leather seats. "Wow! These are comfy," he said.  
  
Everyone else selected a seat and sat down. Knuckles sat next to Rouge, but she got up and moved next to Amy. Sonic took the seat next to his friend. "She's still angry, eh?" he asked.  
  
Knuckles shrugged. "Yeah, I don't blame her, though. My mouth can really go off sometimes," he mumbled.  
  
Shadow experiment with a few buttons on the side of his seat. He pressed a large green button and the armrest flipped up, revealing a small wine glass. "Beverage selection?" a voice asked.  
  
"Uh...Coke," Shadow said. The cup automatically filled with thick, fizzy Coca- Cola. Shadow picked up the cup and took a sip. "I could get used to this!"  
  
Niagera sat in his seat next to Tails. He reached down and pressed a button on the side. The seat folded back in a reclining position and a footrest folded up from the floor. "Ah," he said, "This, Tails, is how travel should be! I have many private jets, but this one is definitely my favorite."  
  
"I can see why," Tails replied.  
  
Niagera adjusted himself in the seat before calling to James. "Okay, James, you can take off. We're heading to N-Island. I assume you know where that is?"  
  
"Yes, sir," James replied, "Takeoff will commence in fifteen seconds."  
  
The passengers heard the two loud jet engines on either side of the cabin start up. The jet started moving forward. "Better fasten your seatbelts," Niagera instructed. Everyone pulled the seatbelts from the side of their seats and locked the solid gold belt buckles. The engines gave a small kick, and the plane shot forward across the runway. After five seconds of a bumpy, shaky ride, the jet left the ground and rose into the air. The wheels folded into the fuselage.  
  
"We are at top speed," James reported, "We should reach N-Island in forty- five minutes."  
  
"Good," Niagera replied.  
  
Everyone was quiet for a few minutes. Amy was the first to speak. "So Niagera, what was that airport used for?"  
  
"It used to be a private airport for millionaires with their own jets," Niagera explained, "But it was closed down when one of them crashed. Since then I've been using it as a personal garage for my jets, helicopters and dirigibles. Believe it or not, that rusty old hangar is very clean and bright on the inside. Honestly, I'm surprised I even still use my jets after I was in that crash a few years ago." He flexed his mechanical fingers.  
  
"Why is the airport so run down?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Eh, who knows? I think the maintenance crew has been neglecting their jobs," Niagera replied.  
  
Shadow watched nervously as the coastline gave way to the ocean. "Water...and I can't swim," he muttered.  
  
Knuckles ignored their conversation. He was looking over at Rouge, who was trying very hard to avoid his stare. 'She can't stay angry at me forever,' Knuckles thought, 'I'll have this problem worked out before we beat Eggman.'  
  
Rouge was avoiding Knuckles' stare by looking out the small window. The airport was now a small dot on the shoreline and the complete skyline of Station Square could be seen. Below the plane, the sea rolled back and forth. 'I wonder if he'll try anything again,' she thought, 'I can't stay mad at him forever, no matter how much he hurt me. I still love him, anyway.'  
  
While Niagera's jet flew over to ocean to N-Island, Metal Sonic was having a most miserable time watching the Hedgehog Radar. "Eggman! Nothing's happening! Sonic isn't coming after us!" he shouted.  
  
The radar started to beep.  
  
Eggman grinned. "You were saying?" he cackled.  
  
Metal crossed his arms. "Shut up!" he mumbled.  
  
Eggman laughed and activated the view screen. "This will show us exactly where that annoying hedgehog is! Muahahahah!"  
  
"You've got to quit it with that laugh," Metal droned.  
  
"Eh? Shut up!" Eggman focused the image on the view screen. An infrared image of the jet came up on screen. In the jet were eight figures: three hedgehogs, a fox, a bat, an echidna, a duck and a robot (although the robot did not appear red on the infrared image). "We've got him! Since he's headed in our direction, he obviously has some sort of plan against us! We have to blow him and his annoying friends out of the sky right now!"  
  
Metal studied the image and changed it to a color camera view. "Wow, that plane looks expensive," he observed.  
  
Eggman sat down and entered a code into the weaponry keypad. "The sea-to- air missiles are armed and ready!" he said, "Metal, fire at will!"  
  
Metal scratched his head. "I'm not sure if we should do that. That's a pretty expensive plane, and whoever owns it would be completely annoyed if we were to destroy it."  
  
"Sheesh...JUST FIRE THE DAMN MISSILE!"  
  
Metal stared at him. "Okay, missiles away!" he said. He reached over and pulled a lever on the control console.  
  
Outside the sub, a missile silo extended from the hull and the top hatch opened up. It spewed a mass of bubbles before the actual missile was fired through the water. Eggman and Metal Sonic watched the missile break the surface of the water and head for the jet.  
  
"Now it's only a matter of time! Muahahahah!" Eggman cackled.  
  
Metal rolled his eyes. "You know, you have to stop it with that laugh, it's really pathetic."  
  
"There's the island!" Niagera exclaimed.  
  
Everyone looked through the small windows of the jet to see a tiny island a few miles away. Half of it was completely covered in palm trees. The other half had a long runway and a large storage building on it. A long T-shaped dock jutted from the storage building into ocean. A large yacht and a smaller speedboat were docked on one side. On the other side of the dock, a small portion of the submarine's black hull and the conning tower were sticking out of the water.  
  
"There's the sub!" Tails observed.  
  
"Wow! It's huge!" Amy gasped.  
  
Niagera checked his watch. "At this rate, we should land be able to set sail—so to speak—in less than an hour," he said.  
  
James, who was in the cockpit flying the jet, suddenly noticed a small 'blip' in the radar screen. "Uh, Master Dredmond, I fear we have something following us!" he called.  
  
"What? Who's following us?" Niagera demanded.  
  
"I have no idea, but whatever it is, it's coming really fast!" James exclaimed.  
  
Sonic looked out the window and gasped. "Bad news! There's a missile heading right for us!"  
  
Everyone stared at him. "Sonic, now's not the time to play jokes," Tails scolded.  
  
Suddenly, an explosion tore though the fuselage. The plane rocked back and forth and flames erupted from the floor. "Crap," Niagera murmured, "Why does this always happen when I'm flying?"  
  
"We're gonna crash!" Shadow cried, "Right into the water, and I can't swim!"  
  
"Quit your whining," Niagera barked, "James! Steady the plane!"  
  
"I can't, sir," James replied, "The controls have been knocked out!" The robot exited the cockpit and started hovering in circles like a maniac.  
  
The flames had now engulfed the back end of the plane and were heading for the cabin. The plane itself was plummeting to the ocean below. Sonic kicked open the cabin door. Wind and pressure took over and started sucking everything out of the cabin. "C'mon!" he shouted, "We have to jump!"  
  
Shadow was clinging onto his seat. "But I can't swim!" he cried.  
  
"If you don't jump, the plane's going to crash into the ocean and we'll all drown!" Amy shouted.  
  
As the plane closed in on the ocean, Niagera suddenly had an idea. "The parachutes! They're in—"The whole rear end of the plane suddenly came loose and cracked in two. Everyone saw the bright orange parachute packs fall into the ocean. "Well, that's never good."  
  
Over the roar of the commotion, Tails had an idea. He pushed past James, who was still panicking, and entered the cockpit. He sat down in the pilot's seat and started tugging on the control stick, hoping there were enough pieces of the wings left to guide the plane to safety.  
  
"Tails!" Amy called, "Get out of there! We're going to jump!"  
  
"Wait a minute," Tails called, "I think my idea is working!" The remaining wings of the plane had now straightened themselves out and the whole thing was gliding in the direction of the island's runway. "Okay guys, brace yourselves!"  
  
"What's happening?" Knuckles demanded.  
  
Rouge peeked through one of the cracked windows. "We're heading for the runway! Everyone hang onto something!"  
  
"You're going to crash my plane?!" Niagera roared, "I think not---WHOA!"  
  
The plane started to violently jerk from side to side, leaving a long streak of black smoke floating in the air. Finally, the impact from the crash came and tossed everyone around like Mexican Jumping Beans in a tin can. The flaming remnants of the plane skidded along the runway, leaving a long black mark, before finally grinding to a halt only a few feet from the large steel storage building.  
  
The automatic sprinklers in the plane were finally activated and put out the fire.  
  
Sonic wearily rose to his knees and looked around the smoking cabin. "NOW those damn sprinklers decide to come on?" he muttered.  
  
Tails climbed out of the mangled cockpit. "Well, I guess my plan worked, sort of..."  
  
"OH THANK GOD WE'RE SAFE!" Shadow shouted, clinging to Amy. He finally realized what he was doing and quickly threw himself off of the stunned pink hedgehog. "Hehe...that never happened!"  
  
Amy just stared at him.  
  
"Hey, Knux," Sonic called, "You okay? Hello?"  
  
Knuckles popped up from a pile of scorched magazines that had fallen from a storage container. "I'm...okay...I guess," he muttered. "Where's Rouge?"  
  
Rouge was strapped safely in one of the seats, smirking and drinking some soda. "I'm here," she said, "And I'm okay."  
  
Everyone stared at her. "I'm not even gonna ask," Sonic murmured, "Has anyone seen Niagera?"  
  
"The echidna...is...standing...on my...BEAK!" A muffled cry came from under the pile of scorched magazines. Knuckles looked down to see his foot crushing Niagera's beak. He chuckled and removed his foot. Niagera jumped up and rubbed his beak. "Well, that was a PLEASANT experience! Sheesh, every time I fly, the plane crashes! ...Hey, where's James?"  
  
James appeared out of nowhere and hovered over to Niagera, completely unscathed. "Master Dredmond, I suggest we get off the plane...or what's left of it...before the weakened frame collapses," he said.  
  
Niagera stared at him. "Remind me to ask you why you're unscathed," he said.  
  
Once outside the plane, James, who was programmed with the knowledge of first-aid, examined everyone to make sure they were okay. "I can't believe this!" Niagera spat, "Every time I fly, my plane crashes! I already have three robotic limbs, do I need any more?!"  
  
"Quit whining," Knuckles growled, "At least we're all okay."  
  
"Speak for yourself, Knucklehead! The crystal on my Rolex is cracked! Do you know how much it costs to get these things replaced?" Niagera boomed.  
  
No one cared.  
  
"So, where's the sub?" Amy asked.  
  
"It's docked on the other side of the island," Niagera explained, "It's a ten-minute walk, unfortunately."  
  
"Well, we have to hurry," Sonic urged, "For all we know, Eggman might already be at the bottom of the ocean!"  
  
Fortunately, Eggman had not made it to the bottom of the ocean yet. He was glaring and fuming at the image on his view screen. "This doesn't make any sense!" he growled, "Those missiles were supposed to get rid of them! How did they survive?!"  
  
"Relax, Egg-breath," Metal Sonic muttered, "It's only you're first attempt. There'll be many more chances for you to kill them in the next few chapters."  
  
"That's not the point! ...Wait, chapters? Never mind...The point is, if the boss finds out that we—"Eggman was interrupted by the ringing of a phone.  
  
Metal picked up the chrome-covered phone from the receiver on the control console. He held it to his robotic ear. "Hello? No, we're not interested in a radio-controlled vacuum cleaner...OH! Sorry, eh, sir, I thought you were a telemarketer...Eggman?...okay, here he is..."  
  
Metal handed the phone to Eggman. "It's the boss," he said, nervously.  
  
Eggman took the phone. "Um...hello, sir?...no, I didn't get rid of them...but I destroyed the plane...hehe, sorry...what?"  
  
He listened as the boss spoke to him over the phone. Eggman became very nervous. "You'll really do that?...okay, I'll try harder next time...and no, I'm not interested in a radio-controlled vacuum cleaner either...okay, sir, goodbye." He put the phone back on the receiver.  
  
"What was that all about?" Metal asked.  
  
"The boss said that if we fail again, we're in for it."  
  
"In for what?"  
  
"You know...IT...just IT."  
  
Metal stared blankly at him. Eggman sighed. "Never mind," he mumbled, and then grew angry, "I'm not going to let Sonic get down to us! I'm going to get rid of him once and for all, no matter what it takes!"  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
Eh, sorry it took two weeks for me to update. I got caught up in more schoolwork. Bleh. Anyway, this chapter was supposed to include the crash and the submarine's launch, but it was too long. The submarine's launch will be in the next chapter.  
  
All reviews accepted! 


	3. Dive! Dive! Dive!

Eh, sorry for the long periods between updates. I've been trying to get an update once every two weeks, but that's not working. Bleh. Blame school. Stupid finals...  
  
Oh, and another thing. Because of this new thing called Quick Edit, certain things go wrong with chapters. In the previous chapter, those little stars that divided the sections were missing, so it might have been confusing when reading it. From now on, I'll divide the chapters using the following:  
  
&&&  
  
Yes, it's ugly, but I have no choice. Now, on with the story!  
  
Disclaimer: See chapter 1.  
  
Chapter 3: Dive! Dive! Dive!  
  
N-Island was a small, ovular island covered with palm trees and surrounded by sandy beaches. The only things on the island were the large storage building and the T-shaped dock sticking out of the building.  
  
Sonic and the gang were following a boardwalk that wrapped around the storage building to the dock. "I sure hope your sub has air conditioning," Amy said, "It's way too hot out here."  
  
"Stop blubbering," Niagera said, "This walk is long, I know, but we'll reach the sub in a minute or two. No need to complain."  
  
"Easy for you to say," Shadow grumbled. He was lagging behind, swatting at several mosquitoes that were buzzing around his head. "I'm being eating by these stupid bugs!"  
  
"Shouldn't we have just walked through the storage building to get to the dock instead of this long boardwalk?" Knuckles asked, almost as annoyed at Shadow.  
  
"That building has been rusted shut for years. This island was originally planned as a marina for yachts, but instead I just put a dock here for mine," Niagera explained, "Come to think of it, I had totally forgotten about this island until Sonic brought up the subject of my submarine."  
  
"And you can thank me as soon as we get there," Sonic said, feeling proud of himself...as usual.  
  
The boardwalk finally came to an end and the group arrived at the T-shaped dock. They proceeded down the dock. A large, white yacht was docked on one side. The name was printed in big blue letters on the bow: The S.S. S-S  
  
"You named your yacht the S-S?" Shadow muttered, "That's dumb."  
  
"What was that?!" Niagera bellowed, spinning around and glaring at Shadow. He backed a few steps away.  
  
"Uh...nothing," he said nervously.  
  
Niagera eyed him suspiciously before turning to the rest of the group. "Behold!" he said, pointing to the submarine, "The Maverick; the most advanced submarine ever built by the hands of man!"  
  
The sub was docked on the other side of the yacht. The tall black conning tower was sticking out above the water while the rest of the hull floated in the calm water. It was huge; probably a good 200 feet long. Tall fins and rudders penetrated the water near the stern and dozens of portholes lined the keel. Radar and a tall communication antenna stuck out from the top of the conning tower next to the periscope. On the side of the tower was the name printed in white block letters: Maverick II.  
  
"Maverick II?" Tails asked, "I thought they only made one."  
  
"They did. When my company purchased it, we changed the name and had it outfitted for underwater mining operations. Unfortunately, the budget went down the drain in less than a month and we had to store it. You can see under its name, my company logo," Niagera explained. He pointed to a small logo under the name. It said: N-CORP, in the middle of a diamond. "That's all we got before the budget went under."  
  
"So what's wrong with the sub now?" Rouge asked.  
  
"Nothing. It still works, except half of it is a huge drill and the other half is filled with torpedoes and bombs and all of that stuff from the navy." Niagera cleared his throat. "And don't be fooled by the size; it's only capable of handling a crew of fifteen. The rest of the space was devoted to storage and the six-foot-thick walls to withstand the pressure at a depth of nine miles. Those portholes are just there to make it look nice; they're not real. What a waste!"  
  
While Niagera conversed with the group, James had hovered up to the huge sub and lowered the gangplank. "Master Dredmond, the sub is ready to be boarded," he reported.  
  
Niagera clapped his hands together. "Excellent!" he took a small whistle out of his pocket and blew it. "All aboard that's going aboard!"  
  
He led the group up the long gangplank to the sub's small hatch. Shadow nervously looked at the sloshing water beneath them. "This sub is waterproof, right?"  
  
Niagera stared at him. "No," he said, "It fills with water as soon as we dive OF COURSE IT'S WATERPROOF! IT'S A SUBMARINE! That has got to be the stupidest question I've ever heard!"  
  
"Sorry, I can't swim," Shadow said, "I hate water."  
  
"Whatever..." Niagera reached for the handle on the hatch. He turned it and a hissing sound was heard as the pneumatic valves opened up and released the hatch. It swung open on its hinges.  
  
Sonic peered down into the hull. "Sure is dark," he said. Suddenly, lights flickered on automatically, illuminating the interior. Sonic swung himself over the side of the hatch and clung onto the long ladder leading down into the hull. Once at the bottom, he peered down the long corridor lined with pipes, electrical wire and thick metal walls. Red lights every twenty feet or so cast an eerie glow throughout the sub. "Hey, come on down!" He called up through the hatch tube.  
  
Tails was the next one down. He jumped off the ladder and landed right next to Sonic. "It smells funny," he said, "What is that?"  
  
"That's the old fuel pellets left over in the engine room," Niagera explained as he pushed Shadow aside and climbed down the ladder, "The smell will go away once we start the engine."  
  
Shadow narrowed his eyes as he climbed down the ladder. "Are you sure that smell isn't you?" he spat.  
  
"What was that?!" Niagera demanded.  
  
"Uh...nothing!"  
  
Amy was the next one down the ladder. Outside, Knuckles watched Amy go down and made room for Rouge. "You're next," he said in the politest voice possible, gesturing toward the open hatch.  
  
Rouge stuck her nose in the air and pushed him aside. Knuckles caught himself on the guardrails. "Great, she's still mad," he sighed as he climbed down into the sub.  
  
"We're waiting for you, James," Niagera called up through the hatch.  
  
James peered down through the opening. "Coming, sir," he said. He hovered over the hole and lowered himself down, closing and sealing the hatch on the way. Once he reached the bottom, he closed another safety hatch to seal the tube. "Everything's sealed," he reported.  
  
"Excellent," Niagera said, "Now, James, please escort everyone to the bridge while I head to my stateroom to freshen up."  
  
&&&  
  
James led the group through several metal-pipelined corridors to the bridge. Along the way, they passed several hatches leading to other rooms and hallways. "Freshen up?" Knuckles asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Master Dredmond has his reasons for saying what he says," James replied, "Now, here's the bridge."  
  
They came to the end of the hallway and James opened a large metal door, revealing the metal bridge. Everything was armored with steel. Several operating stations lined the walls, surrounding the raised platform for the captain in the center. Fortunately, the lights were white instead of red, and cast a bright glow across the highly polished metal.  
  
"Is this a submarine or a battleship?" Sonic asked.  
  
"It's a sub, Sonic," Niagera said.  
  
Everyone spun around to see Niagera standing in the entrance to the bridge, wearing a long, dark blue captain's coat and a hat. "Like my suit?"  
  
"You look like an admiral," Tails commented.  
  
Niagera grinned. "Thank you, Tails, although I am a captain, not an admiral. Now, let's not waste any time. This is the bridge, the nerve center of the sub. From here, we will control this thing while searching for Eggman's giant weapon-thingy. First, I have to assign posts."  
  
"Posts?" Rouge asked.  
  
"Yes," Niagera said, "Rouge, since you're so good at finding jewels—or at least claim to be—you'll be in charge of radar, which is built into the periscope over there." He pointed to a long thick tube protruding from the ceiling behind the captain's balcony.  
  
Rouge eyed it and grinned. "Excellent."  
  
Niagera turned to Amy next. "Amy, I know you're really eager to have Shadow teach you how to drive a car—even though you're still underage—how about if you drive, or rather, pilot the sub instead?"  
  
Amy jumped into the air. "Yes! This won't be another boring adventure after all!" she cried.  
  
Niagera rolled his eyes. "Quite," he said, then turned to Shadow. "Shadow, my boy, you'll be in charge of the ballast board."  
  
Shadow arched an eyebrow. "The what?"  
  
"The thing that makes the sub sink or float."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Obviously, Shadow wasn't excited at all. Niagera ignored him and turned to Tails. "Tails, you're a genius. You'll man the electrical distribution system," he said, "Basically, nothing in this sub will work unless you push the right button."  
  
"Awesome!" Tails exclaimed.  
  
"And Sonic, you're working with Shadow. I can see he's a bit nervous about making the sub sink, seeing as he's AFRAID OF WATER!"  
  
Shadow sunk back into a corner, embarrassed. Sonic nodded. "Sounds cool."  
  
"Hey," Knuckles said, irritated, "What about me?"  
  
Niagera spun around to face him, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, you have the most important job of all!"  
  
"Really?" Knuckles asked, eager to know what he was going to do.  
  
"Yes!" Niagera shouted, clapping his metal hands together. "You're my cabin boy!"  
  
Everyone broke into hysterical laughter, especially Rouge. Knuckles crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "Gee, thanks," he growled, "I thought James was your servant."  
  
"James has gone to the engine room to get a few things ready," Niagera replied, "Now, everyone to your stations!"  
  
Everyone scrambled to their posts. Rouge pulled the periscope down and peered through it. Amy ran her hands over the smooth metal wheel. Shadow and Sonic fiddled with a few controls at the ballast board, and Tails sat at his electrical station. Niagera sat in his large captain's chair in front of the periscope, on the raised balcony overlooking everyone else. He pressed a button on the armrest. "James, do you read me?" he called over the intercom.  
  
"I read you loud and clear," James replied, "The engines are all ready to go."  
  
"Excellent! Okay, Tails, this is easy. First, you'll push all those switches to the 'on' position, which will start the electric generators. These will open valves that let water into the hydro turbines, creating electricity and steam to run the engines," Niagera explained.  
  
"Wait," Tails said, "This thing runs on steam? I thought it was a nuclear sub."  
  
"No. Part of the reason the military didn't want it was because of the engines. The steam cools the electric engine and generates electricity. It's complicated...and inefficient...but it'll have to do."  
  
Tails gave him an odd look. "Okay," he said. He spun around in his chair and looked over the console. There were ten switches that were in the 'off' position. He switched them on. A hum was heard throughout the sub as the generators were activated and started producing electricity. The red lights throughout the hallways turned bright white. A few gauges on the console gave the energy reading. "We have plenty of power in reserve," he reported.  
  
"Excellent!" Niagera rotated his chair to look at Sonic and Shadow. "You two, turn the big red valve that says, 'don't turn.'"  
  
"But if it says 'don't turn,' why should we turn it?" Shadow asked.  
  
"DO NOT QUESTION THE CAPTAIN!"  
  
Sonic and Shadow exchanged nervous glances. They quickly grabbed the big red valve and turned it. A rush of water was heard underneath them as the valves opened, letting water into the hydro turbines. "Valves are open," Sonic reported.  
  
"Excellent!" Niagera said for the third time. "Now Tails, pull the big blue lever that says, 'don't pull.'"  
  
Tails didn't bother to question his captain. He pulled the lever and the sub started shaking as the old engines started up. Water started sloshing against the hull as the sub slowly pulled away from the dock. James' voice came over the intercom. "Master Dredmond, our engines are at full power," he said.  
  
Once again... "Excellent! Okay, Amy, just ease her away from the dock SLOWLY!"  
  
Amy, too excited to follow instructions, spun the wheel around. "This is so much fun I can't contain myself!" The sub rocked back and forth as she spun the wheel. Everyone braced themselves.  
  
"For the love of cake, STOP!" Niagera cried, clinging to his chair. Amy quickly stopped spinning the wheel and slowly headed the sub away from the dock.  
  
"Sorry," she said, "I was overcome with excitement." She let out a nervous giggle.  
  
Niagera was breathing heavily. "Quite...okay, Rouge, set a course for the Mid- Atlantic ridge," he ordered.  
  
Rouge peered through the periscope at the endless ocean. Small blips and computer readouts lined the sides of the scope. The sonar spotted the ridge on the ocean floor and displayed it over the image of the ocean. "Okay," she said, "Head south by southwest." Amy turned the wheel until the compass pointed in the correct direction.  
  
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Knuckles asked. He had been standing next to Niagera's chair the whole time.  
  
Niagera arched an eyebrow. "What?"  
  
Knuckles rolled his eyes and sighed. "This is a submarine, and they dive beneath the ocean. Ring any bells?"  
  
Niagera scratched his head. "Oh yes! Time to dive! Everyone brace yourselves, this will be quite a bumpy experience...especially since Sonic and Shadow are operating the ballast tanks."  
  
"What do we do?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Shadow, Sonic, you'll have to be very careful when releasing the ballast. There are two separate tanks; one in the back and one in the front. You'll have to operate them separately. Shadow, turn the valve for the one in the bow and Sonic will turn the valve for the one aft."  
  
"Aft?" Sonic asked.  
  
"JUST TURN THE VALVE!"  
  
More nervous glances were exchanged, and Sonic and Shadow pulled on the valves. The pumps were activated and the sub started to sink into beneath the ocean. "Dive! Dive! Dive!" Sonic cried, then he chuckled, "I've always wanted to say that."  
  
Suddenly, the sub lurched forward. "Shadow, you idiot! Slowly, slowly you idiot!" Niagera roared.  
  
Shadow eased on the valve. "Sorry," he muttered. The sub balanced itself out.  
  
"Steady as she goes, Amy," Niagera ordered.  
  
"Aye, captain!"  
  
Niagera leaned back in his chair. "We keep this up for an hour or two and we'll be able to put this thing on auto-pilot!"  
  
&&&  
  
As the Maverick slowly slipped beneath the ocean and headed for the bottom, Metal Sonic and Eggman watched the radar to make sure no one was after them. "I see nothing," Metal said, "No blips, no bleeps, and no creeps."  
  
"Creeps?" Eggman asked.  
  
"Yes, creeps," Metal said, and then started making weird radar noises.  
  
"Stop that!" Eggman ordered.  
  
"Sorry..."  
  
Eggman scratched his chin in thought. "This is strange. They were after us before in an airplane to an island with a high-tech submarine docked there which they were going to use to chase us but they aren't after us after all because we can't spot them on radar."  
  
Metal stared at him. "That was one hell of a run-on sentence!"  
  
"Thank you...so where are they?" Eggman demanded, irritated.  
  
Suddenly, the big silver phone rang. Metal picked it up. "Hello? Oh, boss, good to hear you again. You want to speak to Eggman? Okay, I'll put him on." He handed the phone to Eggman. "It's the—"  
  
"I know!" Eggman snatched the phone and held it to his ear. "Hello, boss. We can't find them on radar...what? They're after us in a sub?...You want us to destroy it? How can we if they're not even on radar?...Oh. I'll tell him....no; I'm still not interested in that vacuum cleaner. Goodbye." He hung up.  
  
"What did he want?" Metal asked.  
  
"He wants you to go after them in a pod," Eggman said.  
  
"What?! Forget it! You're the one who wants to kill them, you do it!" Metal protested.  
  
Eggman grinned evilly. "If you don't follow orders...I'll get the mop!"  
  
Metal's eyes widened. "No, please, anything but the mop!" He got down on his knees and started begging. "I'll do anything! Just don't get the mop!"  
  
"Go in a pod and get them!"  
  
Metal sighed. "Okay..."  
  
&&&  
  
On one side of the huge Titan-Egg, a large round door opened and a small pod-like submarine glided effortlessly through the water toward the surface, it's sides covered in torpedoes and weaponry. Metal was sitting behind a large glowing control console, watching the radar blip as it tracked the motions of the Maverick. "Okay, Sonic," he said, "I'm coming for you!"  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
Eh, sorry again for the long periods between updates. BUT SCHOOL'S FINALLY OVER! YAHOOOOOOOOO! WOOT! And now I have a whole two months of summer to waste by writing stories for this site! So you can expect a lot more updates from me! On a second, more boring note, who do you think Eggman's boss is? Come on; it's not that hard to figure out.  
  
All reviews accepted! 


	4. The Unsinkable Maverick

Good news everyone! I've finally figured out how to get Quick Edit to work with my ancient computer! Now I should be able to fix some more spelling errors and put stuff in _italics_ and **bold** lettering! Hooray.  
  
Also; sorry for the lack of updates. I just bought a Sega Genesis console from an old thrift shop and I got the first two Sonic games. THEY'RE AWESOME! Especially the second one, with Tails! I'm stuck on the third Zone of the first one, though. That stinks. I've been playing those a lot, so it's been decreasing the amount of time I have for writing. Oh well.  
  
**Disclaimer:** See chapter #1  
  
**Chapter 4:** The Unsinkable _Maverick  
_  
Six hours into their 'short' journey to the bottom of the sea, Niagera activated the autopilot, or auto-helm, or whatever the hell you call it on a submarine, and gave his crew some rest. Knuckles, however, had the honor of being cabin boy and was worked to the bone. He was waiting on Niagera hand and foot. Everything he said must be done. And every time Knuckles said something about how James should be his servant, Niagera would 'accidentally' spill his drink and the poor echidna would have to clean it up.  
  
That had just happened, and Niagera was reclining in his huge armchair in his stateroom, watching Knuckles clean the spilled drink. "Gee, that red wine certainly does make quite a stain, doesn't it, Knuckles?" he cackled.  
  
Knuckles simply let out a low growl. "When can I have a break?" he finally demanded, "This work is too tiring! And stop 'accidentally' spilling your drink every time I talk to you!"  
  
Niagera chuckled. "Very well, cabin boy, stop cleaning. You can have a short break. I wanted to go to the pantry to get a snack anyway," he said. He jumped out of his chair and opened the heavy steel door to the room. "Coming, Knuckles?" Knuckles got up off the floor and walked past Niagera into the long, dark, pipelined steel hallway. "I'll see you in one hour," Niagera said, and headed off toward the pantry.  
  
Knuckles watched him disappear around a corner and slumped down onto the floor, breathing heavily. "Talk about a slave driver..." he growled, "Now what do I do?" What was there to do in a submarine? He thought, but nothing came to mind. He had seen no sign of Sonic, Tails or Shadow in the past hour, so he guessed they were probably in their stateroom playing a game. Amy was probably off talking with Rouge.  
  
Knuckles eyes shot wide open. He had forgotten about Rouge! This would be the perfect time to apologize to her. "It's worth a shot," he said, "Now if I could only find her stateroom." He walked down the corridor, glancing at the steel doors along the way, trying to find Rouge's room.  
  
He finally came to a steel hatch that looked promising. From inside, he could hear Rouge muttering stuff to herself. "Now, just go in there an apologize," he said, "Nothing too serious." He knocked on the steel door.  
  
"Hello?" Rouge's voice came from inside. "Who's there?"  
  
"It's me, Knuckles," he replied.  
  
There was silence. Finally, after a short pause, Rouge opened the door and stood there, frowning. "What do you want?" she demanded.  
  
"I...I came to talk to you," Knuckles replied, "Can I come in?"  
  
Rouge backed away and made a sweeping gesture with her hands. Knuckles entered the small stateroom and stood in the center, not sure what to do. "What did you want to talk about?" Rouge asked, closing the hatch.  
  
Knuckles sighed. "I came to apologize for...you know...my outburst yesterday. That was totally uncalled for, and I feel terrible," he said, "I had no idea that that statement was offending to bats."  
  
Rouge scoffed. "Statement? I was annoyed about that, but then you said I was as annoying as Amy and I was nagging! That really hurt, Knuckles," she scolded.  
  
Knuckles hung his head. "I know I shouldn't have gotten so...angry. It was my own fault, and I came to ask for your forgiveness."  
  
Rouge was silent for a moment, staring at him, processing an answer in her mind. "Fine," she said at last, "I forgive you. As long as you know it was your own fault."  
  
Knuckles smiled. "Thank you," he said, "And there's one last thing I need to ask you."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Do you still love me?"  
  
Rouge arched an eyebrow and smiled. "Of course I do," she said. She walked over to him and planted a small kiss on his cheek. Knuckles, in turn, threw his arms around her and caught her in a huge hug. She laughed and told him to let go.  
  
Knuckles slowly put her down, chuckling. "Glad that's over with," he said, "Now, Niagera's got some more chores for me. I'm his cabin boy, after all."  
  
"That you are," Rouge said, "Come on, I'll walk to his room with you."  
  
She took his hand and they headed for the door. "You know," Knuckles began, "I wonder why 'blind as a bat' is so offending. It makes you think, doesn't it? Because if you really think about it, it's true. Bats can only—"  
  
"WHAT?!?!"  
  
Knuckles froze. He did it again. He turned to see Rouge glaring daggers at him. "You...you...! You don't really care about my feelings, do you?!"  
  
"I'm sorry, really," Knuckles pleaded, "I can't control my mouth, but I—"  
  
"OUT OUT OUT!!!!" Rouge roared. She kicked the hatch open and threw Knuckles out into the steel corridor. She stuck her head out of the door and gave him one last death glare before slamming the door shut.  
  
Knuckles got up off the ground and slapped himself. "Why me? Why can't I just shut my mouth?" he growled.  
  
"Why are you asking me?"  
  
Knuckles turned to see Niagera sticking his head into the hallway from the entrance to the pantry, grinning. "Man, she is SCARY when she's angry! I mean, I can get pretty strange-looking when I'm annoyed, but she takes the cake."  
  
"With all due respect, captain, shut the hell up," Knuckles growled.  
  
"Humph. Fine, be that way. I was going to offer you a snack and maybe even have a conversation with you, but since you don't like me, well..." he left his sentence unfinished, waiting for Knuckles to come crawling back to him.  
  
Sadly, he did.  
  
"Can I come in?" Knuckles asked.  
  
Niagera smirked. "Be my guest." They both entered the small pantry. Inside was a round metal table with ten chairs set around it. One of them had a glass of wine and a bowl of birdseed set in front of it. Niagera sat there and continued eating his snack. "So, I thought you two were engaged, about to get married," Niagera said, "What happened?"  
  
Knuckles put his head in his hands. "It's all my fault. I said something, she took it as an insult, and then...my mouth went off, as usual."  
  
"Mmm, that's terrible," Niagera replied, not really caring at all. "So, you're not getting married then?"  
  
"No, she gave me back the ring. It's such a shame; that was a beautiful ring, too. It cost me a fortune."  
  
"A one-carat diamond set in a platinum ring," Niagera said, "Very expensive indeed."  
  
Knuckles looked up and arched an eyebrow. "How did you know...?"  
  
"Knuckles my boy, that diamond is an N-Corp cut," Niagera replied, "Made by my company. N-Corp diamonds are extremely valuable now that my company is gone. I was the king of jewelry, and I'm not talking rap-star 'bling,' I'm talking extremely expensive diamonds. When I entered a jewelry shop, people would practically worship me, and now...I'm monitored almost all the time by the blasted government!" He took a long sip of his wine to calm himself down, but quickly became infuriated again. "Hammond and Topaz be damned!" he hissed.  
  
Knuckles chuckled, thinking of the big battle they had had several months ago at the N-Corp factory. Niagera had declared a truce with him then, and he seemed to be keeping his word. Although, there was still something suspicious about him...  
  
&&&  
  
Metal Sonic saw the _Maverick_ on his small sub's radar. "Eggman, I'm close," he called over the radio. "What do I do now?"  
  
"What do you mean, 'what do I do now?'" was Eggman's haughty response, "You attack them! Launch a torpedo! Sink the _Bismarck_!"  
  
Metal scratched his head. "_Bismarck_, sir?"  
  
"Oh, I mean...sink the _Maverick_!" Eggman corrected, "Sink the Bismarck was an old movie about a German battleship that—"  
  
Metal turned the radio off. "Time to attack." He reached over and flipped up a panel. Underneath was a large red button. He pressed it. Outside, small compartments and tubes opened up, revealing hundreds of torpedoes and underwater mines ready to be used. He pressed the button again and sent a torpedo shooting toward the _Maverick_...  
  
&&&  
  
"And then on Thursdays I usually play golf on the course behind my mansion. It's really quite a marvelous course," Niagera droned. Knuckles had sunken almost all the way down in his seat, trying to drown out Niagera's seemingly endless banter. "Knuckles? Are you listening to me?!"  
  
Knuckles poked his head above the table. "Yeah, sure, captain," he slurred.  
  
Niagera rolled his eyes and adjusted his hat. "Well, we've been talking for an hour—or rather, I've been talking for an hour. I think it's time we—"  
  
Suddenly, an explosion tore through the hull. The sub lurched violently to one side, sending Knuckles and Niagera crashing into the wall. The lights flickered and went out. Red emergency lights came on and alarms went off.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Niagera roared.  
  
"I don't know!" Knuckles replied.  
  
The intercom on the wall began buzzing. James' voice could soon be heard. "Master Dredmond, we've been hit! Water is leaking into the aft turbines and has shut down the primary electricity supply! We've only got twenty minutes before the emergency supply runs out!"  
  
Niagera ran over to the intercom and replied, "James, you get that water to stop flooding and I'll take care of the rest!" The pressed a button that switched all intercoms to his. "Everyone report to the bridge NOW!"  
  
&&&  
  
Niagera and Knuckles were the last to arrive at the bridge. Everyone was already at their stations. "What's happening?" Niagera demanded.  
  
Sonic and Shadow were trying to steady the sub at the ballast board. "Something hit us and the ballast tanks are flooding," Shadow said, "If we don't stop the flow soon, this sub will be a weight at the bottom of the sea."  
  
Suddenly, another explosion was heard and the sub shook again, knocking everyone to the floor. Amy, however, was struggling at the wheel. "Captain, something happened to the rudder and the wheel isn't responding!"  
  
Niagera picked himself up and brushed his suit off. "Rouge, check the radar and see what's hitting us!" he ordered.  
  
Rouge pulled the periscope down and read a few computer readouts. "Some small sub-pod off the stern," she said, "I'll put it on screen." She flipped a switch and the image was displayed on the view screen in front of the wheel. It showed a small pod-like submarine floating there with a robot behind the controls.  
  
Sonic gasped. "That's Metal! He's working with Eggman to stop us!"  
  
"I think we've already figured that out," Tails said.  
  
Knuckles was getting annoyed at all this mindless drivel. "Well, are we gonna attack it or let it sink us?!"  
  
"Excellent, cabin boy!" Niagera said, "You, Amy, Sonic, and Shadow, will steady the sub so that Rouge can get a lock on the enemy. Tails, you activate the torpedo tubes so that Knuckles and I can load them!"  
  
A cry of, "Aye, captain," was heard before Knuckles and Niagera exited the bridge and began descending into the hull of the sub. "Where are we going?" Knuckles asked.  
  
"To the torpedo room. These old subs had weapons that needed to be loaded by hand. Inconvenient, yes, but more effective than defective auto-load machinery," Niagera explained.  
  
They finally came to a heavy steel door. Niagera grabbed the lock, pulled it, and the door unlocked, opening to reveal a huge metal room filled with hundreds of small torpedoes. In one corner of the room were two chutes sticking out of hatches. "Those are the torpedo tubes," Niagera said, "Load them now!"  
  
Knuckles grabbed one of the torpedoes, surprised at how light they were, and quickly secured it in the chute. Niagera, on the other hand, was having a rather difficult time lifting one. Knuckles chuckled. "What a weakling."  
  
Finally, Niagera secured the torpedo in the chute and pushed the whole thing into the tube, sealing the thick metal hatch. "Now, Tails will activate the firing mechanisms and Rouge will lock onto the enemy and fire!"  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Niagera pulled a small intercom out of his pocket and contacted the bridge. "What are you people waiting for? Fire now!"  
  
Back up on the bridge, Tails flipped a small switch on the board. He gave Rouge the thumbs-up and she peered through the periscope. "Locked and loaded," she said, "Fire!"  
  
Both torpedoes were shot from the tubes into the water, heading for Metal's sub. He was sitting back in his chair, bored. "When are they going to fire back?" he muttered, "It's been nearly—HOLY CRAP!"  
  
He grabbed the control stick and jerked the sub away from an oncoming torpedo. It passed with inches to spare. Metal sighed and wiped some non- existent sweat from his forehead. "That was a close—NOT AGAIN!"  
  
Once again, he jerked the sub away from a torpedo with inches to spare. "Two torpedoes at once? Now I'm angry!" Metal slammed his fist into the red button and sent a slew of torpedoes hurtling toward the _Maverick_. "Let's see you survive that!"  
  
&&&  
  
James had gotten the primary electricity back on line and the dull, red emergency lights finally went off, replaced by the bright white florescent lamps. He had also bolted and welded several pieces of sheet metal together to seal the large hold from which water was pouring in. He hovered back and admired his work. "I shall inform Master Dredmond that the work is finished," he said.  
  
Suddenly, from underneath him, an explosion tore half the floor apart and a jet of water began dowsing the generator. It started sparking and popping, black smoke rising from the vents in the side. "Oh, dash it all!"  
  
&&&  
  
Knuckles pulled the chutes out of the tubes and allowed Niagera to place another torpedo in one of them. "James has just informed me that the generator is under water," Niagera said, "We have ten minutes of power left before the whole thing shuts down!"  
  
"Okay," Knuckles said, "I can do this, you go back up to the bridge and get someone to help James seal the holes!"  
  
Niagera nodded and headed for the bridge. Knuckles loaded another torpedo into the chute and pushed the whole thing into the hatch. A minute later, a hissing noise was heard as the torpedo was fired at Metal's sub-pod.  
  
&&&  
  
He arrived at the bridge a minute later. "Tails," he called, "Water is flooding the generator room. Close the water-tight doors now!"  
  
Tails looked over his board. "Let's see, here they are." He flipped the switches. Nothing happened. "Sir, these controls are jammed! They need to be closed manually!"  
  
"Damn! These water-tight doors didn't work on the _Titanic_, and they probably won't work here either," Niagera hissed, "Someone come with me to the stern to help me close the doors."  
  
The sub jerked to one side as another torpedo pierced the hull. James' voice came over the intercom. "Captain, the water has started flooding the engine room."  
  
"I'll go with you," Amy said, "This wheel isn't responding anyway, and I can't get the sub to stay steady."  
  
"Good girl, come with me," Niagera ordered. He grabbed Amy's wrist and they headed for the generator room.  
  
&&&  
  
Metal Sonic fired the last torpedo. It hit just below the keel, tearing through the steel plates. Bubbles started forming near the blast, indicating that water was leaking in. He smiled to himself and headed his small sub back to Eggman. "My work here is done," he said, confident that the Maverick was going to sink.  
  
&&&  
  
Amy and Niagera turned a corner. "So, how much time do we have before the generator shuts down?" Amy asked through heavy breaths.  
  
They stopped at a heavy steel door. Niagera began to open the lock. "Five minutes. We have to close the doors in five minutes or, in the words of Shadow, this sub will be a weight at the bottom of the sea."  
  
As soon as he opened the steel door, water started rushing into the corridor. Amy and Niagera looked at the water, then at each other. "Good thing these robotic limbs of mine are waterproof," he said, "Can you swim?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Excellent! We'll have to swim through the corridors and crank the doors down to stop the flooding. It looks like there's a small air pocket near the ceiling, so come up for air every now and then after cranking down a door."  
  
Amy gave him the captain's salute. "Right!"  
  
They both took and deep breath and dove into the water.  
  
&&&  
  
The intercom in the torpedo room started buzzing. Knuckles stopped handling the torpedoes and pressed a button on it. "Hello?"  
  
"Knuckles?" It was Sonic. "Rouge says that Metal is gone, so don't worry about the torpedoes anymore."  
  
"Good," Knuckles replied, "This is getting tiring. Hey, what the...?" He suddenly felt water sloshing around his feet. "Those guys better get those doors closed soon!"  
  
&&&  
  
Back up on the bridge, everything calmed down a bit. "Two minutes until the generators shut down," Tails reported.  
  
"Don't worry about it, there's nothing we can do," Shadow said, "Just wait a bit and those two will have the doors closed."  
  
Suddenly, everyone felt a small jar underneath them. Rouge looked down. "Does anyone notice the tilt in the floor?"  
  
Everyone looked down, now panicked. "Dear God! We're sinking! I'M GONNA DROWN!" Shadow cried. He jumped up and clung to the thing nearest to him, which just happened to be Sonic.  
  
"Get off," he said, agitated.  
  
Shadow slowly climbed off, chucking nervously. "Sorry..."  
  
&&&  
  
Knuckles had a big problem. The small amount of water sloshing around his feet had risen to his waist. And to add to that, the water was freezing. "Come on, close the doors!"  
  
&&&  
  
Amy peered through the dark water and grabbed the hand crank of a watertight door. She carefully started turning it, watching the heavy steel door lower itself down from the ceiling until she heard a loud CLANK, signaling that the door was completely sealed. She quickly turned around and swam up to the surface to get a breath of air.  
  
Niagera was having a much easier time that Amy. Being a duck, he was able to zip through the water at very high speeds, closing two doors before he needed a breath of air.  
  
He reached the surface the same time Amy did and took a deep breath. How many doors did you close?" he asked.  
  
"One," Amy replied. "Wait, if the water is already flooding the sub, why are we shutting the doors now?"  
  
"With the doors closed, it will be easier to pump the water back into the ocean," Niagera replied, "Now, come on, we've got to close the rest of the doors!"  
  
&&&  
  
James activated the pumps and watched as the water flooding the engine room slowly started to drain out. "I hope Master Dredmond gets those doors closed in time."  
  
&&&  
  
Knuckles was now forced to swim through the rising water, which had already engulfed half of the torpedo room. He swam through the freezing water to a small steel beam on the wall to keep himself dry. He pulled out his intercom and called the bridge. "Hello? When are you gonna get those doors closed?! I'm about to drown!"  
  
Shadow was the one to reply. "Sorry, Knuckles, we've got problems of out own."  
  
&&&  
  
The bridge floor had not tilted at a twenty-degree angle. Tails, Sonic, Shadow and Rouge were clinging to the captain's chair to keep from sliding to the wall. "One minute until the generator shuts down!" Tails cried.  
  
&&&  
  
Three more doors were closed. Niagera swam over to Amy, grabbed her wrist and sped through the rising water to the last door. Suddenly, Amy began to feel light-headed. She weakly tapped Niagera's shoulder. He looked back and saw her face getting red. His eyes widened and he quickly swam toward the surface. The small remaining air pocket was now only a few inches deep. Niagera pushed Amy's head above the surface of the water. Amy took a breath of air and they continued toward the door.  
  
'Only one more minute,' Niagera thought, 'Come on, Amy, swim faster!'  
  
They finally reached the last, and largest door. Both animals grabbed the large crank and slowly started to close the door. Suddenly, the crank jammed and the door stopped. Amy and Niagera let out a huge scream, which greatly decreased their air supply.  
  
Amy had an idea. She pulled her Pico Pico hammer out of a plot hole and started whacking the door. Niagera followed and started kicking it. The steel door suddenly came free and dropped into place. As soon as is dropped, they both felt the powerful suction of the water pumps as the water level quickly went down.  
  
&&&  
  
James looked down from the balcony of the engine room as the generator appeared from under the water. "Well, look's like the pumps are working quite well," he said, "Good thing these machines are all waterproof."  
  
&&&  
  
Knuckles sighed in relief as the water level in the room quickly dropped. He let the water bring him down the floor and headed for the door, carefully avoiding large puddles.  
  
&&&  
  
The bridge stabilized itself as the sub stopped sinking. Everyone sighed in relief. "Well, glad that's over with," Sonic said.  
  
Everyone, slightly shook up, went back to their stations in time for the bridge door to swing open, revealing Niagera, Amy, Knuckles and James, all thoroughly soaked. Niagera, his uniform dripping wet, headed for his chair. "Status report, Tails," he ordered.  
  
Tails checked the controls. "Erm...the entire three lower decks were flooded, but now the water's been pumped out, so the walls and floors are soaked. Several torpedoes hit the rudders, so there's barely any maneuverability. The generator is flooded, so electricity production is down fifty percent and the engines are badly damaged, reducing our speed to only twelve knots...whatever that means," he said, "All in all, we're in a rut."  
  
Niagera sighed and slumped down in his chair. "Is there any good news?"  
  
"I have some," Rouge said.  
  
Niagera glanced at her and frowned. "Lemme guess, you just saved a whole bunch of money on your car insurance by switching to Geico?"  
  
Rouge stared at him. "How did you...? Never mind, I meant to say that Eggman's sub is on radar!"  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
Well, another chapter done for now. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the Quick Edit to work. I had it working when I started working on this chapter, but now, one week later, something else is wrong with my paperweight—I mean, my computer. Oh well.  
  
All reviews accepted! 


	5. The Boss!

Well, I did manage to get the Quick Edit working, so that's good. And I finally managed to get to the fourth Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog for Genesis! WOOT! Other than that, I have nothing to say.  
  
**Disclaimer:** See chapter #1.  
  
**Chapter 5:** The Boss!  
  
Metal Sonic docked his small sub-pod on the side of the _Titan-Egg_ and continued to the bridge to inform Eggman of his stunning achievement. He walked into the control room grinning from ear to ear...even though he can't grin...and he doesn't have any ears.  
  
"Eggman! I'm proud to say that I have successfully exterminated our followers," he announced, "The _Maverick_ has sunk to the bottom of the ocean like a dead fish."  
  
Eggman smirked. "First, dead fish float to the surface; second, the boss just called a few minutes ago and said that the sub was still afloat! And to make matters worse, they're only a few nautical miles from us!"  
  
Metal scratched the back of his head. "Oh...opps..."  
  
Eggman sneered. "Opps is right! The boss has also informed me that he's coming aboard in a few minutes to handle matters in his own hands." Then he smiled evilly and leaned back in his chair. "And...he's bringing a mop!"  
  
Metal collapsed to the floor and began pleading for mercy. "No! Not the mop! Please, tell him not to bring one! I'll do anything!"  
  
"You'll sit here and watch this Hedgehog Radar, while I go and get a cup of coffee, and make sure Sonic does not come anywhere near my sub until the boss arrives!" Eggman ordered.  
  
Still in shock, Metal wobbled to the control panel and stared at the radar screen without saying a word. Eggman was content with his actions and went to go get himself a cup of coffee.  
  
A minute later, Metal's shot up in a thinking position as his processor started humming. "Wait a minute! If Eggman's sub and Sonic's sub are the only ones that can come down this far, how is the boss getting here Hmm...That mean's the boss is hiding on Sonic's sub!"  
  
&&&  
  
Niagera peered through the periscope. "The _Titan-Egg_ is in sight," he said, "Amy, bring us about. I need this sub to be completely flush with Eggman's sub."  
  
Amy gave the wheel a slight jerk. The badly damaged rudders creaked and groaned as they turned the sub toward the huge _Titan-Egg_. "Hey, we never told you the name of Eggman's sub," she said, "How did you know?"  
  
Niagera glanced at her nervously. "I...uh...have my ways," he said.  
  
Knuckles was watching everyone work from the corner of the large bridge. "That's it," he mumbled, "There's something fishy going on with Niagera, and I'm going to find out what it is."  
  
Tails slowed the engines. "We're within five hundred meters of Eggman's sub," he reported.  
  
"Excellent."  
  
Rouge, who was leaning against the periscope while her captain peered through it, rolled her eyes. "Okay, have you forgotten something? How are we gonna get aboard his sub when the walls on this thing are six feet thick?"  
  
Niagera pulled his face away from the periscope, unaware of the black rings around his eyes made by the rubber faceplate. "First, it's called a hull; second, did I not mention that this sub was outfitted as an underwater drill?"  
  
"And...your point is?" Rouge asked, arching an eyebrow.  
  
Niagera sighed and rolled his eyes. "It means that we can drill a hole into Eggman's sub and get into it! I outfitted this sub with special hooks that allow it to dock with other vessels." He chuckled. "Ingenious, isn't it?"  
  
"Excuse me, captain," Tails called, "But we have the _Titan-Egg_ on radar."  
  
Niagera spun around, grinning. "Excellent, put it on screen."  
  
Tails pushed a button and the view screen flashed on. It showed an image of a huge, chrome-plated egg-shaped submarine floating just ahead over the Mid- Atlantic ridge. Amy turned the wheel and headed for the giant submarine. "These rudders might be able to dock us with that sub, even though they're badly damaged," she said. She took a closer look at her captain and chuckled.  
  
Niagera glared at her. "What? What's so funny?"  
  
"You have rings around your eyes," Amy giggled. Niagera mumbled something and wiped them off.  
  
"I understand how some rings around my eyes can be ridiculously hilarious, Amy, but let's get serious," he growled, "Tails, ready the docking hooks!"  
  
"Aye, captain." Tails turned to his control console and pulled a small red lever. Outside the _Maverick_, small docking hooks extended from the bottom of the hull. The sub neared the _Titan-Egg_, almost brushing up against it, before Tails cut the engines.  
  
"Ready to dock," he said, and pulled a long ripcord out of the console. Outside, the hooks grabbed Eggman's sub and securely pulled the Maverick to its keel. "Docked."  
  
"So we're docked with Eggman's sub without him knowing," Shadow said, "Now how are we gonna drill through a six-foot thick hull?"  
  
Niagera grinned mischievously and rubbed his hands together. "Allow me to show you!"  
  
&&&  
  
A minute later, everyone was in the lowest deck of the sub staring at a huge diesel engine attached to an even larger diamond drill bit. It was positioned over a pneumatic hatch that allowed it to work in water. Niagera was pacing in circles explaining every last detail about the system, right down to how fast it could turn.  
  
"Because this engine is nearly 1,000 horsepower, and because the bit is tipped with diamonds, it should take no longer than thirty seconds to drill through the hull," Niagera said, proudly. "Once I drill the hole, Sonic, Shadow, Rouge, Knuckles and Amy will go searching for Eggman and Metal Sonic while Tails, James and I stay here and keep communications."  
  
"Good plan," Sonic said, "Now lets dig...er, drill! We don't have that much time before Eggman spots us with his radar!"  
  
"Not to worry, this sub has stealth technology," Niagera announced. He walked over to the engine's control console and pushed the starter. It roared to life, and everyone had to cover their ears. "Watch out when the bit makes contact with the hull, it'll fling crap everywhere!" he called.  
  
The pneumatic hatch opened at the spinning bit lowered itself down through the tube. A moment later, it made contact with the hull of Eggman's sub and metal shrapnel flew everywhere as it bored through. Thirty seconds later, it stopped and pulled itself out. Everyone approached the hole and stared down into the dark hallways of Eggman's sub.  
  
"While you're in there, Amy and Knuckles will keep radio contact with me while Sonic, Shadow and Rouge defeat anything that he throws at you," Niagera instructed.  
  
"Gee, that sounds fair," Rouge muttered.  
  
Niagera nodded. "Yes, it is," he said sternly, "Now, go before we're spotted!"  
  
&&&  
  
Metal had fallen asleep, or rather, shut down watching the radar. Eggman was taking way too long to get his coffee. Suddenly, the radar began to beep loudly. He woozily rebooted himself and looked at the five green dots racing across the radar screen. "Uh-oh...I think we have a problem..." he said, worriedly.  
  
Suddenly, Eggman came barging into the room holding a cup of coffee. "Metal, you fool! I told you to watch the radar to make sure they didn't get near us and now they're already aboard my ship!" he roared. "Send the robots after them!"  
  
"Which one?" Metal inquired.  
  
"All of them!"  
  
&&&  
  
Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Amy and Rouge raced through the dark metal hallways of the _Titan-Egg_. Tails had given Sonic a small digital map that would show them the way to the bridge. "We're almost there," he said, "Look! I can see the doorway!"  
  
Shadow suddenly heard a large clanking noise behind them. He stopped and looked back to see dozens of robots chasing them. "Houston, we have a problem!"  
  
Everyone stopped and looked back. "Well, looks like we're gonna have to take them. Let's juice!" Sonic cried. Everyone braced for a fight.  
  
The robots' arms changed into their weapons and fired at the group. Sonic jumped up and started spinning, doing homing attacks on any robot that came his way. Shadow activated his hover-shoes and also started doing homing attacks. Amy got out her hammer and tried to bash a few of the machine in the head.  
  
Knuckles clenched his fists and punched a hole right through one of the robots' bodies. It fell to the ground sparking. "Heh, too easy," he congratulated himself. Suddenly, he heard a scream. He spun around to see five huge robots ganging up on Rouge, who was kicking and punching in the grip of another robot.  
  
"Hang on, I'm coming!" he called. He raced over to the group and started punching them, leaving a sparking pile of robots on the floor. Rouge was dropped from her captor's grip as Knuckles head-butted the last robot. She got up off the floor and brushed herself off. Knuckles took a deep breath and walked over to her. "Saved you," he said, playfully.  
  
Rouge was, of course, still angry with him. "I didn't need your help," she spat, and headed off to fight with the rest. Knuckles simply sighed and slinked back also.  
  
Shadow raised his foot, giving a robot the full force of the white-hot flames coming out of his shoes. The robot's head melted and collapsed to the floor. "Okay, we've only got one more to go," he said.  
  
Everyone looked at the last robot, standing at the end of the hallway. It figured that this had to be the most powerful one there. It quickly raised its arms and fired thousands of bullets into the air. They sprayed throughout the hallway and ricocheted off the walls. Everyone ran behind the sparking metal remains of the destroyed robots.  
  
"How are we gonna get that thing?" Amy asked, "It's spraying bullets everywhere!"  
  
"I can try a super-Sonic spin attack," Sonic suggested.  
  
"And get yourself full of bullet holes? Bad idea," Shadow said.  
  
"Anyone else have any ideas?" Rouge asked.  
  
A little light bulb suddenly appeared over Amy's head. Everyone stared at it. "I have an idea!" she said.  
  
"IT'S A SIGN OF THE APOLYPSE!" Sonic shouted.  
  
Amy ignored him and turned to Shadow. "Do you still have your hover shoes?"  
  
Shadow stared at her. "You're kidding, right? I was just using them a minute ago."  
  
"Good. Listen, you light my hammer on fire with your shoes and then Sonic will run up to it and melt it! Meanwhile, you will act as a distraction so that my Sonikku doesn't die!" Amy instructed.  
  
"My God...that's actually pretty good," Knuckles said, stunned.  
  
"Okay," Shadow said. He activated one of his shoes and lit Amy's hammer on fire. Sonic took it and got ready to run, trying to keep the flames away from his hands. Shadow suddenly ran out to the robot, ready to distract it. One thing was wrong, though, he didn't know what to do. "How should I distract it?!" he cried.  
  
"Sing a song!" Rouge called.  
  
The robot raised its gun, ready to fire. Shadow quickly thought of a catchy tune. "Okay. Here goes!" The robot was about to fire when Shadow sang out, "Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand, just like that river running through the dusty land!"  
  
Everyone, including the robot, stared at him. "Actually," Knuckles noted, "He has a pretty good singing voice."  
  
"Yeah," Amy said, "Sonic, quick, go and destroy the robot!"  
  
Sonic raised the hammer over his head and ran for the robot, which was distracted by the singing. "Take this, you metal menace!" he cried. He slammed the flaming hammer into the robot. The metal started to melt and spark. Suddenly, a small explosion erupted from inside it. The metal body blew open, sending nuts, bolts and wires everywhere. The blast blew everyone against the wall.  
  
A few moments later, the thick cloud of smoke cleared and everyone looked at the smoldering remains of the giant robot. "Well, that was easy," Knuckles said. He peeled himself off the wall and helped everyone get down.  
  
Shadow, however, was still singing and now doing a little dance. "And when she smiles she really shows you all she can, oh Rio—Rio dance across the Rio Grande!"  
  
"STOP IT!" Sonic shouted. Shadow quickly stopped and chuckled nervously.  
  
"Now, let's get to Eggman!" Amy said.  
  
"I think I'll save you the trouble of finding me," a voice said.  
  
Everyone spun around and saw Eggman and Metal Sonic standing there, grinning. "Good work, Sonic, but you've fallen directly into my trap!" he hissed.  
  
"What trap?" Sonic demanded, "What are you saying, Eggbutt?!"  
  
Eggman chuckled evilly. "Oh, you'll see, just as soon as the boss gets here."  
  
Sonic's eyes widened. "You have a boss? Since when?"  
  
"Since I was hired to kill you, and he should be here any minute now, because he hitched a ride aboard your sub!"  
  
While he was listening, something snapped in Knuckles' mind. He quickly pulled out a small radio and called to Tails, who was still in the _Maverick_ with Niagera and James.  
  
&&&  
  
Tails was poring over the radio console while Niagera paced behind him. "Why haven't they called yet?" he demanded.  
  
"Perhaps there is disturbance with the radio communications," James suggested.  
  
Suddenly, the radio console started buzzing. "I've got something," Tails said, "Listen."  
  
The radio became static, which quickly cleared. "Tails? Are you hearing me?" Knuckles called over his radio. Everyone heard him over the loudspeaker. Niagera listened very carefully for a signal...  
  
"I read you loud and clear," Tails replied.  
  
"Good," Knuckles continued, "Listen, Eggman's got us, so I can't talk long, but he told us that he has a boss! He's been working for someone the whole time, and was hired to kill us!"  
  
Suddenly, a shot rang out. In a flash, the radio console had a huge hole in it and was sparking, wires hanging our everywhere. Tails gasped and turned to see what happened.  
  
Niagera was standing there, holding his 44-Magnum handgun and aiming it at the radio board. The barrel was smoking. He smirked and moved the gun, now aiming it at Tails' forehead.  
  
Tails' eyes widened. "You..."  
  
Niagera chuckled. "Tails, it's time to go 'help' your friends."  
  
&&&  
  
Eggman chuckled. "Soon, Sonic, the boss shall get here and then you shall all perish!"  
  
"We've got to warn Tails and Niagera," Shadow said, "Knuckles, call the sub."  
  
"I'm afraid that won't be necessary," a steely voice said.  
  
Everyone turned to see Niagera standing behind them, gun aimed at Tails' head. He quickly pushed him into the group and walked next to Eggman. "I see you've done a good job on them, Doctor," he said.  
  
"Thank you, boss," Eggman cackled.  
  
Everyone was stunned. "YOU?!" Knuckles roared, "You're the boss? How...? But...?"  
  
Niagera chuckled evilly. "Yes, Knuckles, it's me. I planned this whole thing," he hissed, "And, as usual, you and your friends have fallen into one of my traps!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Shadow demanded, "You were with us the whole time!"  
  
Niagera pulled a gold-plated cell phone out of his coat pocket. "We kept in touch," he said, and put the phone away. "Allow me to explain. After the incident at the factory, I was infuriated. Of course I was lying about the truce a few months ago, so I created another plan. I hired Doctor Eggman here to lure you to the bottom of the sea. I knew Tails would mention my submarine to you because it's the only other one that can go down this far. So, the whole thing fell into place. You came with me in my sub, and I followed Eggman in his sub. Just to keep you guys, especially Knuckles, off my track, I ordered Eggman to try and destroy my plane, which he did, and then the sub. But come on, it was so easy to figure me out!"  
  
Tails scratched his chin. "I get it, it was all a setup!"  
  
Niagera rolled his eyes. "What have I been talking about for the last five minutes, Tails? Anyway, it should have been clear to you. First, I wouldn't help you save the world even if I, myself, was in danger. Second, it takes months to prepare a sub to dive down. My sub was already waiting for us, ready to go. You people are so slow."  
  
Everyone took a few seconds to absorb the information. "So, there is no bomb?" Sonic asked.  
  
"Nope. It was all a setup," Niagera replied.  
  
"But there is a bomb," Metal said, "I saw it! The glowing nuclear core thingy."  
  
Eggman chuckled. "You mean that light up yo-yo I used to trick you into helping me?" Metal glared at him.  
  
"You forgot one thing, Niagera," Sonic said.  
  
Niagera arched an eyebrow. "Eh? And what's that?"  
  
"Tying us down," Sonic replied, "Everyone run, now!" And, as simple as that, everyone got away, running down the corridor as fast as possible toward the _Maverick_.  
  
Eggman stared at them. "Niagera, you fool they're getting away!" he cried.  
  
Niagera stood still and chuckled. "Let them go. They can't board my sub; I locked the tube. They're trapped with us." He turned to face the Doctor. "Now, like I said, you do as you please with Sonic and the others, but leave the echidna to me."  
  
Eggman nodded. "As you wish, boss. Do you need a weapon?"  
  
Niagera shook his head. He reached into his coat and pulled out a long double-barreled rifle. He loaded two diamond-tipped bullets into the weapon and cocked it. "I have a special gun just for Knuckles," he hissed, "So go ahead and run, echidna. The hunt is on."  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
Gee, I bet you didn't see that coming, right? Who'd of thought that Niagera, the supposedly 'good-guy' in this story, was the boss? Not you, I bet! Eh, well, maybe... Anyway, it's sort of a cliffhanger. Kinda crummy, but still decent. Will Niagera finally rid himself of that pesky echidna? Will Eggman finally be able to get Sonic? Find out in the next exciting chapter of SubSonic Adventure!  
  
All reviews accepted! 


	6. So, who's the real bad guy?

It's been a while since I updated, no? Anyway, I've got no good author's note to put up here right now, so just continue reading.  
  
**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1.  
  
**Chapter 6:** So...who's the real bad guy?  
  
Sonic, Amy, Shadow and Tails raced down the long corridors of the _Titan- Egg_, trying to escape the approaching Eggman. "I knew something was up with that duck," Shadow said, "I knew it from the time we launched the sub."  
  
"Well, no use complaining now," Sonic said, "Let's just get out of here!"  
  
"We can't," Tails cried, "Niagera locked and sealed the entrance hatch to the _Maverick_ when he dragged me into this sub. He's the only one who can open the lock because he has the key."  
  
"So what do we do?" Amy asked.  
  
Sonic looked down the hallway and saw Eggman and Metal Sonic running after them. "I'll think of something soon, let's just keep running!"  
  
Eggman had been running for less than a minute when he needed to stop and rest, breathing hard. "Whoo, this running is hard work," he panted.  
  
"No, you're just fat and out of shape," Metal snapped, "Come on, they're getting away!"  
  
"It's okay," Eggman cackled, "They're trapped with us! The only way they're leaving is in a body bag."  
  
"That gives me a bad mental image," Metal muttered, shaking his head. "Hey, where did the echidna and the bat go?"  
  
"They ran off somewhere else," Eggman replied, "Not to worry. Niagera's got them in the palm of his mechanical hand!"  
  
Metal rolled his eyes. "Okay, I see you're not going anywhere any time soon. Shall I capture them?"  
  
Eggman nodded and Metal ran off toward Sonic.  
  
&&&  
  
"I can't believe you trusted that duck!" Rouge taunted as she and Knuckles ran down another corridor.  
  
"Well, we had no other choice," Knuckles growled, "Now, are you gonna help me get to the sub or am I going to have to find my own way?"  
  
Rouge stopped running and stuck her nose in the air. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she snapped, "I don't need your help to find my way back to the sub."  
  
"Wait, you can't leave! This sub has too many hallways," Knuckles called, but Rouge had already run down another corridor, leaving him by himself.  
  
"Humph," Rouge growled, "The nerve of that guy! I don't need his help at all! Hmm, let's see..." She looked around at the many doors that lined the corridor. "One of these has to lead to the Maverick."  
  
She opened the first hatch and entered a small stateroom. "This isn't it," she said.  
  
Suddenly, someone pushed her into the room. Rouge fell on the floor and looked up into the twin barrels of a gold-plated rifle. "Niagera..." she hissed.  
  
Niagera chuckled. "I have no time for you," he said, "I must first kill your friend, Knuckles. Once I get him out of the way, I'll come back for you."  
  
Before Rouge could react, Niagera slammed the door shut and locked it from the outside. She got up as quickly as she could and tugged on the handle. It wouldn't budge. "Great," she sighed, "Just great!"  
  
&&&  
  
Knuckles ran through the long hallways, unaware that he was traveling into the lowest decks of the sub. "Where am I?" he wondered as the temperature slowly increased, "And why is it so hot?"  
  
"I can tell you that."  
  
Knuckles spun around to see Niagera standing there, aiming his rifle at him. "We're near the boiler room," he said, "Now hold still so I can kill you."  
  
"Not a chance," Knuckles said. He jumped out of the way moments before Niagera fired and headed down the corridor, dodging left and right to confuse his would-be assassin.  
  
Niagera sighed and loaded another bullet into his gun. "I can see this is going to be harder than I thought," he said as he ran after Knuckles. He lifted the gun to his eye once more and fired.  
  
Knuckles felt two more bullets whiz past his head, ricocheting off the metal walls of the hallway. "The boiler room? Perfect!" he said. He ran to the end of the hall and threw a metal hatch open. The blast of hot air almost knocked him over as he entered the boiled room. The room was lit with an eerie red glow emitting from the huge boilers against the walls.  
  
Niagera fired two more shots. One barely brushed Knuckles leg. He looked down to see a burn mark the bullet had made as it whizzed past. "I'm coming, Knuckles!" Niagera cried, "Just as soon as I load some more bullets..."  
  
Knuckles ignored him and looked around the room. There were hundreds of places to hide, fortunately. He grabbed onto a tall pipe rising to the ceiling and climbed up. He then balanced on the ceiling's steel rafters to give him a perfect view of the floor. What was even more perfect was the he was hidden in the Shadows.  
  
Niagera burst in through the hatch with his rifle aimed ahead of him. "Okay, echidna," he hissed, "Where are you?"  
  
"You'll have to find me," Knuckles called. His voice echoed through the pipes. Niagera spun around, facing all directions as Knuckles' voice echoed everywhere.  
  
"Stop that!" he growled, "You're confusing me!"  
  
"Too bad."  
  
Niagera quickly raised his gun and fired. He shot a pipe, and steam started pouring everywhere. "Wait...that's not him...damn these echoing acoustics!"  
  
Knuckles' chuckles echoed through the room. Niagera fired more shots, blowing open more pipes. "Stop fooling around and get down here now!" Niagera roared, "Fight me like a man! Or are you...scared?"  
  
"Well," Knuckles taunted, "I'm up in the rafters, but you'll have to find me up here."  
  
Niagera instantly raised his rifle at the ceiling and fired two more shots. "You're wasting my bullets," he said, "And these are expensive!"  
  
Knuckles inched his way along the rafters and found a screwdriver. He decided to have a little fun and dropped it on Niagera. Like lightening, he fired up at the screwdriver, coming dangerously close to the echidna. Then, to Knuckles' surprise, Niagera started chuckling.  
  
"Well, let's see here," he said, "We're in a sweltering boiler room, it's glowing red, you're up in the rafters with your voice echoing everywhere and I'm down here firing dozens of shots at nothing. How cliché."  
  
Knuckles rolled his eyes. This was getting boring. He looked down at Niagera and jumped from his position. Niagera quickly looked up to see Knuckles about to land on him. Unfortunately, he reacted too slow and fell to the floor as Knuckles landed on him.  
  
"Here I am," he said, jumping up and raising his fists.  
  
Niagera quickly got up and raised his gun. "Okay," he hissed, "Time to end this!" He fired more shots. Knuckles dodged them and kicked Niagera in the leg. He fell over again and dropped the gun, which went sliding under a mass of pipes. "Aw, crap. Do you know how much that cost?!"  
  
Knuckles ignored him and grabbed his wrist. He flipped the duck over his shoulder and smacked him face-first into a pipe. "How's that?" he growled.  
  
Niagera pried himself from the pipe and spit out a tooth. "That was nothing!" He grabbed Knuckles around the throat and lifted him into the air, slamming his head on a low-hanging pipe. Then he dropped him and kicked him out of his way. "How was that?"  
  
Knuckles flipped himself upward and started throwing lightning punches. Niagera's eyes widened his eyes and ran to dodge the powerful blows. Unfortunately, he was too slow and was knocked into a wall. "How's that?"  
  
"Stop asking me that!" Niagera growled. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his 44-Magnum handgun. "I wanted to kill you with a diamond- tipped bullet, but since this is the only thing I have, it'll have to do!"  
  
"Fine, see if you can shoot me," Knuckles teased, running back and forth, ready to dodge the bullets.  
  
But Niagera didn't fire. Instead, he raised the small butt of the gun and brought it across Knuckles' face. He spun around and slammed his back into a pipe. "Ow..." he choked, searing pain tearing through his body.  
  
Niagera chuckled and approached him. "I can't believe it was this easy," he cackled, "Now, I can finally kill you!" He raised the barrel of the gun to Knuckles' forehead. He was too weak to react and closed his eyes, waiting for the bullet.  
  
"I've waited three years for this moment," Niagera cackled, and pressed the trigger.  
  
The gun clicked and the empty magazine fell onto the floor.  
  
Knuckles' eyes snapped open and he looked down at it. Then he looked at Niagera, who was nervously chuckling. "I...uh...thought I loaded it," he choked.  
  
Knuckles' smiled evilly, clenching his fists. Niagera gulped. "I should start running now, shouldn't I?"  
  
"Yeah, you should."  
  
&&&  
  
"It's a dead end!" Shadow remarked as he and the rest ran into the end of the hallway.  
  
"Now what?" Amy cried.  
  
"Now, we capture you!" Metal shouted. Everyone turned around to see Metal Sonic closing in on them.  
  
"We're not afraid of you!" Tails shouted.  
  
"No one is," Metal said, and lunged at him.  
  
"Tails!" Sonic cried. He jumped in front of Metal's way. Metal crashed into Sonic and they both rolled around the floor, trying to push each other off. "Come on, help!"  
  
Shadow jumped into the mess. Soon, Amy and Tails followed. The fight had become a ball of dust like in a cartoon.  
  
"You won't get away from me!"  
  
"Tails, that's my arm!"  
  
"Get off my leg!"  
  
"The Eggman Empire will succeed!"  
  
"Oh, shut up and fight."  
  
Suddenly, Metal was thrown out of the dust ball. Now everyone was fighting each other without the bad guy. "Poor pathetic fools..."  
  
Suddenly again, a huge blob fell from the ceiling onto the fray, trapping everyone underneath. The blob revealed itself to be Eggman. "Hahahaha! Now, with Sonic trapped under my incredible rolls of fat, he cannot escape!" he roared.  
  
Metal covered his mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick," he choked.  
  
Shadow poked his head out from under Eggman. "Get your fat ass off of us!"  
  
"Hahaha! I laugh at your pain!"  
  
Metal rolled his eyes and rolled Eggman off of them. They were crushed together like a ball of clay. "The fatness...too great..." Tails spluttered.  
  
Eggman got up and pulled a remote out of his pocket. He pressed a button and a cage shot up from the floor, trapping everyone inside. "Hahaha! Now, Metal, let's go see if Niagera has taken care of Knuckles!"  
  
&&&  
  
Knuckles had beaten Niagera up a flight of stairs and back down again. They were now fighting on a balcony high above the boiler room. Knuckles was throwing punches like crazy, and Niagera was doing all he could to dodge them.  
  
"Hold on—woah! We don't have to fight like this!" he pleaded.  
  
Knuckles ignored his cries and punched him one last time. Niagera finally lost his balance and fell over the side of the balcony. "That should take care of him...what?" Knuckles arched an eyebrow as he watched the duck dangle from the metal balcony by his wrist.  
  
"This is just great," Niagera sighed, "Now I'm stuck." He looked up to see his Rolex caught on a loose screw protruding from the balcony. The clasp was about to snap. "Come on, let me down! Agh, blast that infernal safety clasp!"  
  
"Allow me," Knuckles said. He bent down and opened the watch's clasp. Niagera's wrist slipped right through and he fell on the floor. The watch fell next to him and shattered into a hundred pieces.  
  
Niagera rubbed his head and looked at the remnants of the watch. "Hmm, third story, third watch...I think I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Luckily, I brought a spare!" He pulled another gold Rolex out of his pocket and slipped it onto his wrist.  
  
Knuckles suddenly jumped down and landed in front of him. "Okay, duck, now I'm going to rid everyone of you once and for all!" he growled, raising his fist.  
  
Niagera was about to jump up and counter attack when he saw Eggman and Metal Sonic emerging from the boiler room's door across the room, silently creeping up on Knuckles. He finally said the thing that came to mind the quickest. "Okay," he said, "But before you kill me, let me say this."  
  
"What?" Knuckles demanded.  
  
Niagera took a deep breath. "Knuckles...I am your father!"  
  
"No you're not," Knuckles spat, "That's just an overused line from Star Wars."  
  
"And it bought me some time."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
Knuckles felt a pair of metal hands grab his neck. He glanced back to see Metal gripping him. Niagera quickly goy up and grabbed his arms. Eggman grabbed his legs and they lifted him into the air. "Hahaha! Now we've got everyone!" he said.  
  
Niagera grinned. "Yes, and now, Doctor, we shall take over the world!"  
  
&&&  
  
Metal, Eggman and Niagera tossed Knuckles into the cell that was holding Sonic, Tails, Amy and Shadow. "Ha! Now I've finally captured you all!" Eggman roared, "With you people out of the way, we can take over the world!"  
  
"Indeed," Niagera muttered, "Come, Doctor, and we shall proceed to the bridge to begin our conquest of the world."  
  
"You mean _my_ conquest!"  
  
Niagera spun around, glaring at Eggman. "What do you mean,_ your_ conquest?!" he demanded.  
  
Eggman grinned evilly. "Did you actually think I was going to let a puny duck like you help me, the great Doctor Eggman, rule the world! Of course not! Now, you're going to be a prisoner like them!"  
  
"Not if I can do anything about it!" Niagera pulled out his gun and fired at Eggman. It clicked and nothing happened. "Oh...I forgot, it's empty..."  
  
Metal quickly grabbed him and shoved him in the cell with everyone else. He slammed his fists against the bars. "You can't do this to me! I'm Niagera Patterson Dredmond the Third!"  
  
"And I'm Metal Sonic," Metal said, smiling.  
  
Everyone was confused. "Wait," Shadow said, "First there are two bad guys, Niagera and Eggman, but now only one is going to take over the world. I don't get it, is Niagera still a bad guy. More to the point...who's the real bad guy?"  
  
Eggman laughed maniacally. "Hahaha! It's me, you fools!"  
  
"That's my catchphrase," Niagera growled.  
  
"Then how come you never used it?" Shadow asked.  
  
Niagera arched an eyebrow. "Good question...I have no idea. But Eggman should not steal it from me, nonetheless!"  
  
"It wouldn't matter anyway, everyone knew your catchphrase already," Eggman said.  
  
"What? Impossible!"  
  
"So that explains why the author always put 'it's me you fools!' after your name in the disclaimer," Tails said, "It's your catchphrase!"  
  
Niagera's eyes widened. "He did? That traitor! I'll get him if it's the last thing I do!"  
  
"So, are you a good guy now?" Sonic asked, "Now that you're trapped with us?"  
  
"Of course!" Niagera answered, a bit too quickly. "Well...not really, I just wanted to say that to get you guys off my back. But I'm still in charge!"  
  
"What on earth are they talking about now?" Metal asked.  
  
"I don't know, but it more than likely has nothing to do with the plot of this ridiculous story," Eggman said, "Everyone shut up!"  
  
Everyone stopped talking and stared at Eggman. He sighed and wiped his forehead. "Thank you. Now, let it be known that there is, in fact, a bomb aboard this sub, and it's set to go off in exactly fifteen minutes, giving Metal and me enough time to escape in our sub-pod."  
  
"It doesn't matter," Sonic said, "We've still got the _Maverick_, and we can escape just as fast as you can!"  
  
"But you're behind bars," Eggman noted, "Quickly, Metal, to the emergency sub-pod!" In a flash, the fat scientist and the skinny robot took off running toward the other end of the sub, leaving everyone trapped in the cell.  
  
"So...now we're stuck here?" Amy asked.  
  
Knuckles grabbed the bars and tried bending them. "It's no use," he said, "These are too strong."  
  
"Well, this is a fine mess I've gotten myself into," Niagera mumbled, "Though it's not as bad as when I met my investors. Oooh, _that_ was scary."  
  
"How are we going to get out of here?" Tails asked.  
  
Amy suddenly remembered her idea from the previous fight with the robots. "Easy," she said, "We'll just melt the bars with Shadow's hover-shoes."  
  
Shadow nodded and held his foot up against the bars. He activated the jets and sent a white-hot flame across them. A few seconds later, the bars started glowing and slowly melting.  
  
Suddenly, the whole sub shook as a small explosion was heard in the lower decks. "What was that?" Knuckles demanded.  
  
"The explosion sequence has begun," Niagera replied, "Come on, Shadow, melt those bars. If we're to escape from this cell and then try to get away in a submarine with faulty rudders, we'd better act fast!  
  
&&&  
  
Eggman laughed maniacally as he sat behind the control panel of his sub- pod. Metal was sitting next to him. "That laugh is really getting annoying," he said, "Cut it out."  
  
"Those fools!" Eggman cackled, "Now they see the real genius of Doctor Eggman!"  
  
"You know, they'll probably escape like every other time you captured them," Metal said.  
  
Eggman chuckled. "Even if they were to escape the sub, they could never escape the explosion's shockwave in time."  
  
"And what would the shockwave do?" Metal inquired.  
  
Eggman rubbed his hands together and grinned. "It would destroy them!"  
  
To Be Continued.  
  
Well, another not-so-good cliffhanger. Do you think Sonic and co. will make it out alive? Will Eggman and Metal make a successful escape? Find out in the next exciting chapter of Subsonic Adventure!  
  
All reviews accepted! 


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